Caitlin Clark did not make Team USA’s final squad for the Olympics and Stephen A. Smith is not happy about it.
Speaking on the latest episode of First Take, Smith labelled the move “stupid”, saying that Team USA would win the gold medal regardless, so the team may as well include a rookie who’s electrified women’s basketball.
“They gonna probably win the gold again, that’s not what this conversation is about,” Smith said. “This is about what I will personally label the idiocy of Team USA Women’s Basketball. How dare you make this decision? It’s stupid. And I’m going to tell you why it’s stupid. I want all the ladies on this squad to know every single one of y’all are deserving of it. Caitlin Clark does not deserve a spot ahead of any of the players on this roster, okay? If we’re talking just basketball, but you know we’re not, you know we’re not.
“… This girl is box office. I said a rising tide lifts all boats… It’s an opportunity to globalize the WNBA brand. So people like Brittney Griner, God bless her soul and others don’t have to go to Russia in the off-season to play additional basketball to get extra income. They could stay right here if the sport elevates its popularity and you ladies start getting what you richly deserve.”
Clark herself responded with humility when asked about being left off the team.
“I’m excited for the girls that are on the team,” she told reporters Sunday. “I know it’s the most competitive team in the world and I know it could have gone either way — me being on the team or me not being on the team. I’m going to be rooting them on to win gold. I was a kid that grew up watching the Olympics, so it will be fun to watch them.
“Honestly, no disappointment. It just gives me something to work for; it’s a dream. Hopefully one day I can be there. I think it’s just a little more motivation. You remember that. Hopefully when four years comes back around, I can be there.”
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