ad_WBB_Rizzotti USA Basketball

Team USA women’s basketball committee chair Jen Rizzotti doubled down on the organization’s reasoning for excluding Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark from the Olympic roster that will represent the nation in the Paris games this summer.

After USA women’s basketball confirmed the 12 players that will form the nation’s Olympic roster on Tuesday, Rizzotti explained to the media why Clark was not included. She pointed out that their purview was “to create the best team we could for [head coach] Cheryl (Reeve).”

The Team USA exec pointed out that they didn’t consider viewership at all since their goal is to win and nothing else.

In an interview with The Athletic, however, Rizzotti confirmed that they did consider Clark for a spot on the Olympic team. Nonetheless, she emphasized that they had to uphold the “integrity” of the selection process and do it right.

Jun 2, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) walks back to the bench in the third quarter against the New York Liberty at Barclays Center.

Jun 2, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) walks back to the bench in the third quarter against the New York Liberty at Barclays Center.

Rizzotti also acknowledged the backlash and questions they got when the Team USA roster was initially leaked days before the official announcement. However, they expected it and prepared themselves for it.

“We don’t live in a bubble. We’re not on a jury where we’re quarantined in a hotel without any access. All of us are seeing and hearing and getting texts and calls about this decision. And that was expected,” Rizzotti said of the buzz that their decision to exclude Caitlin Clark created.

“Certainly the success that Caitlin had in college in addition to the way that she’s played in the beginning parts of the (WNBA) season was taken into consideration as we talked about this roster, but I think out of respect for the process, we tried to make sure we upheld our integrity when it came to selecting the roster. Marketability, popularity, TV viewership, jersey sales was not something that we were supposed to be measuring.”

While Caitlin Clark’s fans are disappointed with the move, there’s a reason why the Fever rookie couldn’t make the squad. She has yet to join a training camp with the senior team after missing her previous chance when she led Iowa to the NCAA Finals this 2024.

Clark has already accepted the decision, though. With that said, fans will probably need to wait until the next international competition to see the rising star on the global stage.