Caitlin Clark Receives Encouraging News After Team USA Olympics Snub

There is still chance that Caitlin Clark could still make it onto the USA Olympic team.

Jun 10, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts after her third foul against the Connecticut Sun in the second quarter at Mohegan Sun Arena. / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Caitlin Clark has been one of the most talked about athletes in any sports over the last year. Her rookie season with the Indiana Fever has been less than expected, but she has still shown off her impressive skill-set at times.

Despite how much attention she has brought to women's basketball, Clark has received a ton of hate and criticism both from WNBA players and from the national media. Very few players have ever received the kind of treatment that Clark has already received in their professional career as a rookie.

One of the biggest questions facing Clark this year was whether or not she would be selected to represent the United States in the Olympics. We now have an answer to that question. Clark was left off of the roster.

While she did not make the initial 12-woman roster, there is still a chance that she could find her way onto the team.

Clark has been selected as a top alternate for the team. If another player gets injured or has to withdraw from the team, Clark would be eligible to take that roster spot.

Caitlin Clark has been named as a top alternate for Team USA after being left off the 12-woman roster -- @DHenryTV provides the details pic.twitter.com/lobAkFKahc

— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) June 10, 2024

The leap from women's college basketball to the WNBA has not been smooth for Clark. Her game fits, but she is receiving extremely physical play and has not received the benefit of many whistles from referees. That has caused a polarizing debate about her future.

So far in her rookie season with the Indiana Fever, Clark has averaged 16.3 points per game to go along with 6.0 assists and 4.9 rebounds. Unfortunately, she has always averaged a concerning 5.4 turnovers per game.

Clark has shot just 37.3 percent from the floor overall and has knocked down 33.0 percent of her three-point attempts.

Gone are the days of being a fan favorite, earning easy NIL money, and being a top ambassador for women's basketball. Everything about her life has changed. She's now one of the most criticized and sometimes even hated professional sports stars in the world.

Even though it doesn't look like she'll realize the dream of playing in the Olympics this year, there's still a chance. We'll just have to wait and see what happens ahead of the games.