Caitlin Clark Rejected Spot on Team USA for 2024 Olympics
Caitlin Clark Rejected Spot on Team USA for 2024 Olympics originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark quickly became one of the best players in the WNBA during her rookie season.
Advertisement
Averaging 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game in 2024, Clark led the Fever to their first postseason appearance since 2016, on her way to All-WNBA first team honors.
However, despite her dominance, Clark was not selected for the USA women's national basketball team in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Other guards such as Sabrina Ionescu, Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd were chosen over her.
Team USA went on to win a gold medal without Clark, but the former Iowa Hawkeyes star had a different chance to participate in the Olympics.
USA Today reporter Christine Brennan has a new book coming out called "On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women's Sports," set for release on July 8.
Advertisement
In the book, Brennan mentions Clark received an offer to play for the Team USA women's 3x3 team, which featured stars such TCU Horned Frogs guard Hailey Van Lith (now a member of the Chicago Sky) and the Los Angeles Sparks' Dearica Hamby. The women's 3x3 team went on to win a bronze medal.
"Clark did have another option to get to Paris: the US women's 3x3 team," Brennan wrote, according to People. "Even though she had never played on a national 3x3 team (she had experience on U.S. under-16 and under-19 5x5 teams), USA Basketball offered her a spot on the 3x3 team well before June, knowing there was a qualifying event for her to play in to become eligible for the Olympics, according to two sources with knowledge of those conversations."
However, Brennan continued to mention Clark rejected Team USA's 3x3 offer.
"The answer from Clark and her team was simple: No. She did not want to play 3x3 basketball at the Olympics," Brennan added.
While Clark didn't get a shot at gold in 2024, she will likely have a shot during the 2028 Olympics, which will take place in Los Angeles.
Advertisement
Related: Caitlin Clark Makes WNBA History Against Las Vegas Aces
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
14 minutes ago
- New York Times
Ben Brown's rough outing brings more questions about his spot in the rotation
ST. LOUIS — For three innings, it seemed like Ben Brown was about to put together a great outing. It wouldn't have been a surprise. The young starter has shown flashes of brilliance mixed in with severe rough patches. Both happened on Monday as Brown went from shutting down the St. Louis Cardinals to quickly finding himself on the wrong end of an 8-2 loss. Advertisement 'It just happened really fast. It's really frustrating,' Brown said. 'It's going to be tough to sleep tonight knowing I was that close to something really good tonight, and just as fast as it went away. It's hard.' Brown needed just 28 pitches to get through the first three frames. But over his next two-plus innings, he threw 53 pitches and gave up eight runs on a quartet of two-run homers. Monday marked Brown's 14th appearance this season and the sixth time he's given up five or more runs. Overall, Brown has struck out 25.3 percent of batters he's faced and walked 7.5 percent, strong peripherals that often lead to good results. But far too often — like on Monday — he's failed to execute, leaving pitches over the heart of the plate, culminating in an ERA of 6.13. Brown has given glimpses of his immense upside. He threw six scoreless frames against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds, and seven innings of two-run ball when facing the Detroit Tigers. But the bad moments have come far too frequently. A Cubs team with a clear focus on ending a playoff drought needs more consistency. 'This is part of being a young starting pitcher in the league and trying to make progress,' Counsell said. 'As you have to get 15, 18 outs in a game, it's difficult. It's hard to see now, but there is growth happening. It's hard to like the growth when there's struggles going on, but that's where the best stuff comes from. So we just gotta keep working on it and improve the quality of the execution. Keep going.' The question is whether Brown will keep going in the big leagues. Before the game, Counsell announced that Shota Imanaga, who has been on the injured list since May 5 with a left hamstring strain, would return to the rotation on Thursday. Matthew Boyd, who had a bad bruise on his left shoulder after catching a hard liner in his last start, is scheduled to pitch Wednesday. Advertisement Counsell also noted that Porter Hodge, who has been out since May 17 with an oblique strain, then a hip issue, is back with the team and could be activated soon. That may mean Brown, who has options remaining, could be ticketed for Triple A. Time to fine-tune his developing changeup, and doing a better job of not leaving so many pitches over the plate could be of value to Brown. 'There's some moments when you need to lock it in and bear down and execute some pitches,' catcher Carson Kelly said. 'They've been getting in some good counts and we need to get ahead.' Brown was upset after the loss and addressed the possibility of losing his spot in the rotation. 'Yeah, stuff like that is going to be in the back of your mind,' Brown said. 'Obviously, when guys show up in the locker room, they're going to need spots to pitch. It's hard. Ultimately, it doesn't matter. I just gotta do my job and I didn't do it tonight.' The young pitcher is often seen with a smile on his face and chatting with veterans after his outings. On this night, he sat on a couch, stone-faced by himself, scrolling his phone. Brown has to diagnose and address whatever is going wrong for him. But the Cubs can't dwell on losses like this. The focus has to be on fixing the issue. Imanaga's return is the first step. 'He's ready to go,' Counsell said. 'He did a full rehab. Everything that happened on rehab was according to schedule. The performance was very good, and all the important data we look at was good.' This is a team that's in desperate need of Imanaga's return. Brown and Colin Rea have done enough to ensure the Cubs don't sink in the standings. But their performances of late — Rea gave up four home runs and seven earned runs in Sunday's 14-6 loss to the Seattle Mariners — have left much to be desired. Imanaga's arrival comes at a time when the team is in search of a pick-me-up. But additions beyond Imanaga are needed. Advertisement The win for St. Louis ties them for second with the Milwaukee Brewers and puts them just 3 1/2 games back of the Cubs, who are looking vulnerable for the first time in a while. Starting pitching has been the glaring need for weeks now and has to be the focus for team president Jed Hoyer and his front office over the next month as they look to upgrade the roster. There's no doubt they will act. The only question is when that move will happen. (Top photo of Ben Brown watching Brendan Donovan as he rounds the bases after hitting a two-run homer: Joe Puetz / Imagn Images)
New York Times
16 minutes ago
- New York Times
Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr. loves hearing Mets fans boo him as he trots home
NEW YORK – As dispiriting as the Braves have been at times this season, for the past month, they've had Ronald Acuña Jr., one of the game's truly elite players, back at the top of their lineup. He's so dynamic that when the Braves get a well-pitched game from their starter these days, they believe they can beat anyone. Advertisement They got a well-pitched game Monday from Spencer Schwellenbach and reliever Dylan Lee, beating the New York Mets 3-2. The win was thanks in no small part to Acuña, who scorched a leadoff home run to center field in the third inning and appeared to get in the heads of the Mets' players and fans. Acuńa smiled when thinking about being booed in New York more than any Brave since Chipper Jones. 'Honestly, it feels good,' Acuña said through an interpreter. 'It feels like whenever I kind of hear those boos or anything… It's hard to describe it, it's almost like I get more confidence, you know?' When Acuña did various celebrations that are part of his routine home-run trot, boos rained down from the crowd of 38,593. And when he struck out an inning later, one man in a Juan Soto Mets jersey stood and flipped both middle fingers at Acuña while screaming profanities. Such is the star magnitude and sheer entertainment value that accompanies Acuña, who is cheered louder than any Braves player at Truist Park, and booed louder than any of them on the road. 'He's unbelievable,' said Schwellenbach, who pitched seven innings of two-run ball and improved to 3-0 with a 2.06 ERA in five career starts against the Mets. '(Acuña) makes it really easy to pitch when he gives us an early lead. I mean it's a lot of fun to pitch with the lead, and he's been really good at jumping on them early.' VOTE RONALD 🌟 | #BravesCountry — Atlanta Braves (@Braves) June 23, 2025 Schwellenbach had four strikeouts with one walk, but the biggest out of the game was Lee's strikeout of Juan Soto to end the eighth inning with two runners on in a one-run game. Raisel Iglesias gave up a pair of two-out singles before Lee again faced Soto and struck him out on eight pitches, ending with his swinging through a slider. Advertisement Lee also retired all three batters in the ninth on a strikeout and two groundouts to record his second save. It was the first save for the Braves since May 16, ending a franchise-record streak of 31 consecutive games without one after Iglesias struggled and left the closer role. 'You go back and look at the run he's on, it's something else,' Snitker said of Lee, who hasn't allowed an earned run in his past 12 appearances while piling up 17 strikeouts with one walk and four hits in 13 2/3 innings. 'I mean, and they're big outs. The situations that he's come in and the job that he has done have been phenomenal. 'The game is on the line right there (against Soto). And he did a great job with him. Dylan's got a slow heartbeat, and I can't say enough about what he's been doing.' The Mets and the leather-lunged denizens of Citi Field are frustrated by Acuña, Schwellenbach and the Braves in general, considering Atlanta's 27-10 record against the Mets, including a sweep last week in Atlanta. At Citi Field, the Braves are 10-5 with a 2.88 ERA in their past 15 games. Acuña's home run and sacrifice flies from Michael Harris II and Sean Murphy provided more than enough offense Monday on a night when Schwellenbach was again sharp and efficient, throwing 89 pitches including 58 strikes as he increased his majors-leading innings total to 103 2/3. 'He's getting ahead (in counts),' Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. 'That's one thing that he does. He gets ahead, and then he's got a lot of weapons — he can put hitters away. I feel like today, he used that two-seam, that sinker to righties… He made a nice adjustment (after last week). 'But overall, like I said, some quick outs, got ahead and put us away.' Atlanta badly needed a win, coming off a weekend series loss at Miami against the NL East cellar-dwelling Marlins. The loss dropped the Braves to 11 games behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies and 10 behind the Mets entering Monday. Advertisement Their series loss at Miami came alongside news that Chris Sale, the 36-year-old ace in their formidable starting trio, had a fractured rib cage and would be out indefinitely. Prospect Didier Fuentes, who debuted Friday after turning 20 three days prior, is filling Sale's spot for now. He is, notably, a year younger than any other current major leaguer. Fuentes provided plenty of reason for optimism in his debut, but it's a significant step down having him at the back of the rotation instead of Sale at the front of it. 'We know we got to pick it up a little bit for him and for the team,' Schwellenbach said of Sale.'It didn't really change what I was going to do tonight, but it really sucks not having him in the rotation.' The Braves lost the first and last games at Miami by 6-2 and 5-3 scores in starts by Fuentes and Bryce Elder, but won 7-0 in the middle game started by Holmes. Again, when they pitch well, they usually win with Acuña doing his thing. Acuña was good in all three games at Miami, but particularly the middle game, when he was 2-for-3 with a double, two walks and three runs scored. In 28 games since returning from a year-long knee surgery rehab, Acuña has hit .396 with a .500 on-base percentage, .713 slugging percentage and a 1.213 OPS that's the fourth-best OPS in Braves history for a player in his first 28 games in a season. 'It's crazy — everything he's done since he's been back, honestly,' Snitker said. 'You just don't see that after a player (has) missed that much time. And it's his whole game, too. He's played great defense, and he's starting to run a little bit now. He's feeling confident in that. When he's playing his game, man, it's fun to watch.' That Acuña would excel in series against the Marlins and Mets should come as no surprise: He has 52 extra-base hits (26 homers) and a 1.067 OPS in 91 career games against Miami, and 40 extra-base hits (17 homers) and a .930 OPS in 87 games against the Mets, including a homer, six walks and five runs in last week's three-game sweep in Atlanta. Advertisement Acuña had a first-pitch single to start the game Monday and stole second base in that inning, his second stolen base in the past four games after only one attempt in his first 24 games. He has reached base multiple times in 13 consecutive games, the longest such streak of his career and the longest in the majors this season. Jones was the last Brave to have a streak as long when the Hall of Famer did it for 13 consecutive games in 2004. That sweep of the Mets at Truist Park was the third consecutive series win for the Braves, and the highlight individual performance was Sale in the middle game. In that outing, he pitched 8 2/3 scoreless innings and made a diving defensive stop for the first out of the ninth on a Soto chopper between the mound and first base. Sale was injured on the play, but stayed in the game — a 5-0 win — and struck out Pete Alonso for the second out of the inning before giving up a bloop single and exiting after 116 pitches. It wasn't until two days later that Sale realized the soreness in his ribs from that diving stop was worse than a bruise. Tests later revealed the damage. The Braves haven't specified the extent of the injury or given any estimate on how long Sale could be out, but he made it sound as if it might not be as long of an absence as some have speculated. He told the Foul Territory podcast that he had two small rib fractures and would be okay. (As an aside, if it were anything more serious, Sale presumably wouldn't have accompanied the team to New York, which he did.) Snitker said Sale is with the team because the Braves travel with a bone-growth stimulation medical device that he's using daily. Sale is also, famously, a team-first player who wanted to be around the Braves during this important stretch of their season, including four games at New York and a three-game home series against the Phillies. 'I'm glad he is (with the team),' Snitker said. 'I love having him around, and I think he still can bring a lot to our club even though he's not pitching.'
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Thank you, Fifa! Pact returns, Botafogo v Palmeiras, magical night
Monday night (24) GAVE EVERYTHING to football fans following the 2025 Club World Cup! Palmeiras was losing to Inter Miami, with a real risk of being eliminated, but managed to snatch a 2-2 draw. In the other game of the night, Porto and Al Ahly drew 4-4! Yes, a game with EIGHT GOALS out of nowhere, on a Monday in a week with five working days! Advertisement + Club World Cup defines the TWO first duels of the round of 16 ⚔️ Social media, of course, was attentive to everything that happened on the fields in the United States! Botafogo x Palmeiras in the round of 16... The return of the pact And Europe, huh... Thanks, Fifa! 🫶 This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here. 📸 PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA - AFP or licensors
