Video: Sue Bird Talks Caitlin Clark USA Roster Snub; 'Loves' Angel Reese 'Rivalry'
Aug 12, 2024
US basketball player Sue Bird opens the session in the women's Gold Medal basketball match between France and the USA during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Bercy Arena in Paris on August 11, 2024. (Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP) (Photo by ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)
WNBA legend Sue Bird called the embarrassment of talent riches available to the United States "a gift and a curse" because it inevitably means star players will get bypassed for major tournaments.
Bird cited Candace Parker in 2016 as the most notable example in an interview with Rachel Nichols on Open Run. This summer, Caitlin Clark's omission from the 2024 Summer Olympics squad sparked a lot of conversation.
"It's the reason for the dominance. We have so much talent," Bird said. "We've always said—and not said it lightly—we could probably field another Olympic team, another World Cup team. And so sadly, that always leads to this idea of snubs."
When USA Basketball named its 12-player Olympic team, Clark was averaging 16.3 points on 37.3 percent shooting along with 4.9 rebounds and 6.0 assists. Her production was solid for a rookie but not necessarily good enough to automatically consider her one of the 12 best American players. Missing out on the national team camp in April because she was in the Final Four with Iowa proved costly as well.
Maybe the United States would've been better with Clark instead of another guard in Paris. Winning an eighth straight gold medal at least refuted the notion Team USA needed the Indiana Fever rookie.
As long as she stays healthy, Clark is all but a lock to represent the U.S. at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
By that time, her rivalry with the Chicago Sky's Angel Reese may have helped to lift women's basketball to another level. Bird told Nichols the sport has had rivalries before but has not captured the attention in the same way Clark and Reese have.
"The fact that these two they literally stole the college stage, both with their play and their trash talk, and then they're taking into the WNBA," she said. "It's just going to mean good things for the landscape of women's basketball, so I'm all for it. I think it's great. They've come in and they've taken over."
Viewership for the 2024 Summer Games was up across the board compared to the Tokyo Games. Staging the event in the U.S. all but ensures it will get strong ratings among American fans, and having Clark and Reese on Team USA would only generate more excitement.
Brittney Griner: USA Gold Medal 'Means So Much to Me' After Russian Imprisonment
Aug 11, 2024
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 11: Gold medalist Brittney Griner of Team United States poses for a photo with her wife, Cherelle Griner, during the Women's basketball medal ceremony on day sixteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena on August 11, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Brittney Griner was already a two-time gold medalist, but her newest triumph with Team USA might surpass what she previously achieved in the Summer Olympics.
"My emotions are all over the place," she said after the United States beat France 67-66 in Sunday's final, per ESPN's Brian Windhorst. "It means so much to me. My family didn't think I would be here, like I've said before, and then to be here and win and gold for my country, representing when my country fought for me so hard to even be standing here. Yeah, this gold medal is going to hold a special place."
Griner was on Team USA for the Rio and Tokyo Games, and she was part of the U.S. when it won gold at the 2014 and 2018 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup. Leading up to the 2024 Summer Olympics, though, she reflected on how this run felt different given the ordeal she experienced in Russia.
The nine-time WNBA All-Star was wrongfully detained for more than nine months in 2022. While in prison, she dealt with living conditions that made her feel "less than a human."
Griner returned to the United States in December 2022.
Suiting up for the Phoenix Mercury the following May was an achievement all on its own. The 6'9" center has continued to astound fans by hardly missing a beat on the court. She has averaged 17.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 46 games with Phoenix since coming back.
The combined presence of A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart meant Griner no longer needed to shoulder a heavy load for the United States. Still, she appeared in all six of Team USA's games in Paris and averaged 7.3 points and 4.2 boards per contest.
Given her age (33), this was in all likelihood Griner's last Olympic go-round, and she made the most of it.
A'ja Wilson, USA Thrill Fans in Win vs. France, Earn 8th Straight Olympic Gold Medal
Aug 11, 2024
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 11: A'Ja Wilson #9 of Team United States shoots over Marieme Badiane #22 of Team France during the Women's Gold Medal game between Team France and Team United States on day sixteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena on August 11, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
The United States survived to win its eighth straight gold medal in women's basketball at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Team USA beat host country France 67-66 in the final Sunday. Gabby Williams nailed a shot at the buzzer but was inside the three-point arc when she released the ball, confining the French to a heartbreaking defeat.
Kahleah Copper took over late for the U.S. and finished with 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. A'ja Wilson, meanwhile, strengthened her case as the best player in the world by going off for 21 points and 13 rebounds.
The two-time WNBA MVP, who was crowned MVP of the Paris Games, garnered plenty of praise on social media.
• Won two ESPYs • Has led WNBA in points • Signed deal with Gatorade • Named All-Star for the 6th time • Unveiled on a cover of NBA 2K25 • Announced her own Nike signature shoe
Fans aren't taking Team USA's historic dominance for granted, either. Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese was among those glued to the television in the final moments:
With the win, the United States has reeled off 61 straight victories in the Summer Games, and this is probably the closest it has come to tasting defeat during that stretch.
Team USA led for 23 minutes, but this was far from an emphatic performance. Cheryl Reeve's squad was held to just 25 points at halftime. It shot 2-of-12 on three-pointers and turned the ball over 19 times.
In the end, the U.S. simply had too much talent. No other country in the world can call upon a player as good as Copper, a four-time WNBA All-Star and the 2021 Finals MVP, off the bench to provide a lift when the stars aren't getting the job done.
Wilson provided a legendary soundbite when she called Copper "that b---h" in her postgame interview on the court.
While the gulf between the United States and the rest of the world has clearly closed a bit, Team USA will head into the 2028 Summer Games as the favorite once again.
Fans can assume Diana Taurasi (42), Brittney Griner (33), Alyssa Thomas (32) and perhaps the backcourt tandem of Jewell Loyd (30) and Chelsea Gray (31) could be outside of the national team frame four years from now.
But Reese, Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston are among the young stars who will be jostling for a spot during the next Olympic cycle. UConn's Paige Bueckers could be in the mix as well since she will have gained some pro experience by that point.
As Sunday showed, nothing can be assumed for the U.S. Anything short of a ninth straight gold is bound to be considered a disappointment in Los Angeles, though.
Hailey Van Lith, USA 3x3 Basketball Improve to 3-3: Updated 2024 Olympic Standings
Aug 2, 2024
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 02: Hailey van Lith #9 of Team United States dribbles the ball against Myriam Djekoundade #11 of Team France during the Women's 3x3 Basketball Pool Round match between Team Australia and Team Spain on day seven of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Esplanade Des Invalides on August 02, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
Hailey Van Lith and the USA women's 3x3 basketball team defeated Canada 18-17 on Friday to mark their third straight win.
The USA women have now recovered from their three-game losing streak to open the Olympics and are now even 3-3 overall.
Team USA has one more game remaining in pool play, with a Saturday contest against China on deck.
A late basket from Van Lith sent Friday's contest between the United States and Canada to overtime, where the first team to two points would claim the win.
Canada scored first, but Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard won the game with a shot from deep.
Howard led the team with seven points, going 4-for-5 from the one-point range before making her game-winning two-pointer.
Van Lith contributed five points, going 2-of-3 from deep while adding a one-point basket on six attempts.
Earlier in the day Van Lith and Howard each contributed four points during Team USA's 14-13 win over France.
After struggling with their chemistry during tournament-opening losses to Germany, Azerbaijan and Australia, the American women have been able to put together a more comprehensive offense during three straight wins over Spain, France and Canada.
Finishing in the top six of the pool-play stage standings will give Team USA a chance to advance to the semifinals, although the team may need to make it through a play-in round to get there.
The top two teams after pool play head straight to the semifinals, while the next four teams will compete for two remaining spots in the next round.
If Team USA finishes group play among the top six teams, its play-in game will take place Saturday afternoon.
Dawn Staley: Caitlin Clark Might Make USA Roster 'If We Had to Do It All Over Again'
Jul 28, 2024
PHOENIX, AZ - JULY 20: Caitlin Clark #22 of Team WNBA stands for the National Anthem before the game against the USA Basketball Women's National Team during the 2024 WNBA All Star Game on July 20, 2024 at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)
Dawn Staley, a member of the Team USA women's basketball team committee, believes Caitlin Clark's case for inclusion in the 2024 Summer Olympics would look different if the team were picked now.
"As a committee member, you're charged with putting together the best team of players, the best talent," Staley told NBC Sports' Mike Tirico on Sunday. "Caitlin is just a rookie in the WNBA, wasn't playing bad, but she wasn't playing like she's playing now.
"If we had to do it all over again, the way that she's playing, she would be in really high consideration of making the team because she is playing head and shoulders above a lot of people. Shooting the ball extremely well, she is an elite passer, she has just got a great basketball IQ, and she's a little more seasoned in the pro game than she was two months ago."
The United States finalized its 12-player Olympic squad on June 11.
At the time, Clark was averaging 16.3 points on 37.3 percent shooting along with 4.9 rebounds and 6.0 assists. Her production didn't make her a lock for Paris, and she had missed a critical training camp period in April while suiting up for Iowa in the Final Four.
Omitting Indiana Fever star wasn't a universally popular pick but one that had reasonable explanations.
To Staley's point, Clark's candidacy looks stronger if Team USA had had the entire first half of the WNBA season from which to grade her.
In 13 games after the Olympic cutoff, she has averaged 17.9 points and 10.4 assists. Her final appearance before the All-Star/Olympic break saw her set a single-game record for assists (19).
One could argue USA Basketball should've picked Clark with the idea that her performance would naturally improve as she found her comfort zone on the court closer to the Summer Games.
But the committee could only work with the body of evidence it had at the time.
Clark wasn't off to a blistering start and lacked any experience with the senior national team. That latter aspect was critical.
Las Vegas Aces Chelsea Gray was recovering from a foot injury when she was added to Team USA, but she's at least a six-time WNBA All-Star who competed in the last Summer Olympics and was on the 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup team.
The Phoenix Mercury's Diana Taurasi likewise has a wealth of international experience in the bank to balance out the fact she's no longer an elite talent.
For Clark, this is probably the first and last time she'll be on the Olympic bubble, but that doesn't offer much comfort when she's watching the Paris Games from afar.
A'ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart Impress Fans as Team USA Wins Olympic Tuneup vs. Germany
Jul 23, 2024
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 23: Breanna Stewart #10 of Team USA looks on during the game against Team Germany as part of the 2024 USA Basketball Showcase on July 23, 2024 in London, England at O2 Arena. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
The United States women's national team rolled to an 84-57 victory over Germany in its final exhibition before the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Team USA came up short last Saturday against a squad of the WNBA's best stars, the second straight time it lost the All-Star Game in the modified format.
The U.S. was determined to atone for that and jumped out to an early lead. It led the Germans 22-9 after the first quarter and didn't look back from there. The talent gap was simply too large as the United States pulled away in the second half.
Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson posted a double-double (19 points and 14 rebounds), while the New York Liberty's Breanna Stewart put up 15 points, six boards and five assists. Connecticut Sun star Alyssa Thomas had one of her trademark showings by doing a little bit of everything (eight points, seven rebounds and four assists).
Wilson and Stewart helped to suffocate Satou Sabally defensively. The Dallas Wings star shot 3-of-17 from the field for eight points.
Fans were happy with what they saw from the United States, particularly its two best players.
don’t have universal healthcare but we do get A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart on the same team 🦅
Team USA now heads to Paris for the Summer Games. It opens the tournament on July 29 against Japan before games against Belgium and Germany follow in the group stage.
On the men's side, the competition has begun to catch up to the United States, so gold isn't a fait accompli. It's a different story for the women's squad, which won gold at the last seven Olympics.
Anything short of an eight straight gold medal — and a dominant run to get there — will be chalked up as a surprise.
Cameron Brink Replaced by Sparks' Dearica Hamby on 3x3 USA Olympic Team After Injury
Jun 24, 2024
BROOKLYN, NY - JUNE 20: Dearica Hamby #5 of the Los Angeles Sparks looks on during the game against the New York Liberty on June 20, 2024 in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Catalina Fragoso/NBAE via Getty Images)
USA Basketball named Los Angeles Sparks star Dearica Hamby as the replacement for Cameron Brink on the 3x3 women's team for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Brink suffered a season-ending torn ACL earlier this month, ruling her out for this year's Summer Games in Paris.
Hamby is averaging 17.8 points and 10.5 rebounds while shooting 40.0 percent from beyond the arc though 17 games for Los Angeles.
Beyond her performance on the court this year, the 30-year-old has already represented the United States in 3x3 competition. She helped the U.S. win gold in the 2023 AmeriCup, nailing a buzzer-beater in the final against Brazil.
USA Basketball was forced to call an audible after Brink went down injured in the Sparks' 79-70 defeat to the Connecticut Sun on June 18. The rookie forward had already been confirmed as a member of the 3x3 squad.
Hamby will instead be joining Cierra Burdick, Rhyne Howard and Hailey Van Lith for the Summer Olympics.
The United States enters the event as the defending champion. Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young combined to deliver gold in Tokyo in 2021. Plum and Young, teammates on the Las Vegas Aces, have moved up to the 5x5 team for the Paris Games.
Team USA's first game is July 30 against Germany and the first of seven contests in the pool play phase.
Arike Ogunbowale Talks Team USA Olympic Selection Process: 'Politics in Everything'
Jun 15, 2024
ARLINGTON, TX - JUNE 9: Arike Ogunbowale #24 of the Dallas Wings looks on during the game against the Phoenix Mercury during a 2024 Commissioner's Cup game on June 9, 2024 at the College Park Center in Arlington, TX. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images)
Dallas Wings star Arike Ogunbowale revealed she took her name out of contention for Team USA at the 2024 Summer Olympics, saying she believed she was not wanted on the team.
"Whether that's USA Basketball, whether that's All-Star teams, whether that's first team, and stuff like that, there's politics," Ogunbowale said on the Nightcap podcast. "Even with the men's [basketball teams]. There's politics in everything, so I'm gonna just leave it at that."
A three-time All-Star and two-time All-WNBA selection, Ogunbowale would seemingly be a shoo-in if her 2024 season performance was any indication. She's scoring a career-high 26.2 points to go along with 4.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 3.1 steals per game for the Wings.
The Milwaukee native has not represented the United States in international competition during her pro career. She said she had hopes of making the team at one point last year but decided to pull her name out of the running over frustration with the process.
"When it comes to [the Olympic trials], it really doesn't have much to do with your game," Ogunbowale said. "It's really about who they feel like fits with the team. So I actually took my name out the pool months ago. That's not saying I didn't think maybe last year, I would be on the team and I was good enough to make the team, but when the list came out, I knew I would not be that one."
Ogunbowale and Caitlin Clark were arguably the two biggest omissions on the initial Team USA roster. The United States has won seven straight Olympic gold medals.
Fever HC: 'Disappointed' Caitlin Clark Missed USA Roster, Will Have Chances in Future
Jun 9, 2024
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 7: Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever smiles during the game against the Washington Mystics during a 2024 Commissioner's Cup game on June 7, 2024 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Kenny Giarla/NBAE via Getty Images)
USA Basketball caused quite the stir when it didn't select Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark for its Olympic roster this past week, and head coach Christie Sides had her own take on the decision Sunday.
"A little disappointed, of course. She's my player," she told reporters. "That's the hardest team in the world to make. That is a tough team. She's young, she's doing to have so many opportunities in the future.
Christie Sides on Caitlin Clark not making the Olympic team:
Clark told Sides “hey coach, they woke a monster” when telling her she didn’t make it. pic.twitter.com/02UwvuEiVj
Sides added that Clark was using the situation as motivation.
"We talked actually on the bus. She got the call on the bus, and she texted me to let me know. I just tried to keep her spirits up. The thing she said was, 'Hey coach, they woke a monster,' which I thought was awesome."
Christine Brennan of USA Today reported that two "longtime U.S. basketball veterans" told her that "concern about how Clark's millions of fans would react to what would likely be limited playing time on a stacked roster was a factor in the decision making."
Clark, 22, is averaging 16.8 points, 6.3 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game in her first 12 WNBA games. While there have absolutely been growing pains—namely her 5.6 turnovers per game and surprising 32.7 percent shooting from three—she's more than held her own at the professional level.
But Team USA is also stacked with plenty of veteran superstars, making it a tough team to crack. There's little doubt that Clark will regularly feature on that team soon enough if she continues on her current career trajectory.
