USA Olympic roster snubs: Caitlin Clark, Arike Ogunbowale headline players left off 2024 women’s basketball team | Sporting News

USA Basketball faced a tough decision on whether to include WNBA star rookie Caitlin Clark on its roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Clark has quickly become one of the most popular players in the sport, but the 22-year-old guard will reportedly have to wait her turn to suit up for the Red, White, and Blue. She will be left off the USA women’s basketball team for the Olympics, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

The decision has spawned conversations about how her absence will negatively impact viewership and ratings. With the women’s national team in pursuit of its ninth-consecutive gold medal, USA Basketball elected to take a veteran team to Paris instead.

Former WNBA MVPs A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart headline the players who made the roster. They will be joined by Napheesa Collier, Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionescu, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum, Diana Taurasi, Alyssa Thomas, and Jackie Young.

Nine of the 12 players who made the cut have previous experience representing the United States in 5×5 or 3×3 competition.

It’s hard to argue against any of the 12 names on that list, but several players deserve an honorable mention as “snubs.”

MORE: Leaving Caitlin Clark off the Olympic Team is a mistake that didn’t need to happen

USA Women’s Basketball Olympic Team snubs

Clark might be the biggest name snubbed, but there are a handful of other deserving players who probably felt they could have made the team over Clark, too.

Sylvia Fowles, 38, has been left off the Olympic roster for the first time since 2008, winning four consecutive gold medals with the United States. It’s a similar story for Tina Charles, 35, who was on the last three gold medal Olympic teams.

Fowles, Charles, Ariel Atkins, and Skylar Diggins-Smith are the only active players from the 2020 women’s national team that won gold in Tokyo but didn’t make the cut for Paris. Retired USA Basketball legend Sue Bird is the other.

Rhyne Howard and Cameron Brink deserve a mention, as well, but that duo headlines the United States women’s 3×3 basketball team.

Take a look at some other worthy honorable mentions below, listed in alphabetical order.

Ariel Atkins, Washington Mystics

Atkins was left off the 2024 Olympic roster after making the cut in 2020.

The 27-year-old has long been known as one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, making an All-Defense team in five of her seven years in the WNBA. She is a two-time All-Star and WNBA champion who is averaging 13.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.8 steals per game so far this season.

She only averaged 1.5 points in 5.5 minutes per game at the Tokyo Olympics, though.

Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever

Boston joins her Fever teammate Clark as a young player whose time is coming. The 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year was expected to have a chance to make the 2024 Olympics roster, but she will have to wait her turn.

Boston has become one of the brightest young stars in the W, but she has taken a step back from a breakout rookie season. The 22-year-old is averaging just 10.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.0 blocks, and 0.8 steals per game — all of which are down from last year.

Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever

Clark’s name will, naturally, draw the most attention. She has helped accelerate the popularity of women’s basketball at every level and would have been TV ratings gold for the U.S. national team.

Right or wrong, even a star as bright as Clark will have to be patient until a spot opens up for her.

Clark is starting to find a rhythm at the WNBA level, averaging 16.8 points, 6.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game. She became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 100 points and 75 assists, doing so in 12 games.

She is also only shooting 37.3 percent from the field and leads the league by 26 turnovers (67).

Clark hasn’t had a break from the spotlight since the start of her senior season at Iowa. The young star might value a quick breather before she headlines the United States women’s national team for the foreseeable future.

MORE: LeBron James, Kevin Durant headline 2024 USA Men’s Olympic Basketball roster

Skylar Diggins-Smith, Seattle Storm

Diggins-Smith is another player who was left off the 2024 Olympic roster after making the cut in 2020.

Like Atkins, Diggins-Smith wasn’t in the rotation at the Tokyo Olympics. She only averaged 1.3 points in 5.4 minutes per game.

The 33-year-old is still one of the best players in the W, coming off her fourth All-WNBA First Team honor last season. She is averaging 15.3 points, 6.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.1 blocks in her first season with the Storm this year. 

Dearica Hamby, Los Angeles Sparks

Hamby is enjoying a breakout season in 2024 but still did not get the call for the U.S. women’s national team.

The 30-year-old is thriving as a star in Los Angeles, averaging a career-high 20.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.8 steals per game.

In terms of on-court production, Hamby is probably the second-biggest snub on this list to…

Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas Wings

Ogunbowale has every right to be frustrated with her omission from the 2024 Paris Olympics roster.

The 27-year-old has been one of the best players in the WNBA this season. She is averaging 26.6 points and 3.1 steals per game, ranking second and first in the league, respectively.

Her prolific scoring and tenacious on-ball defense could certainly have helped the United States in its pursuit of a ninth-straight gold medal.