The roster for the U.S. women’s basketball team that will compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, which begins on July 26, has yet to be finalized, but one question can now be answered: Who will play in the 2024 Olympics?
Caitlin Clark should be on the team.
The final roster is expected to be announced in early June, and it could be another step in the evolution of women’s basketball in the U.S. College basketball and the WNBA are growing in popularity, and viewership is reflecting that — and that popularity should spill over into the Summer Olympics.
In April, Lisa Leslie, a four-time gold medalist with the U.S. team, was asked by The Sporting News whether Clark should be added to the national team roster.
“100 percent,” Leslie told SN. “1,000 percent. They don’t even let me ask questions. I don’t know how I’m going to leave the country without her.”
That being said, the U.S. team has to go through some tough qualifying rounds before the tournament. Will Clark make it? Here’s why he can.
Who is on the Team USA women’s roster?
As of now, Clark is not on the U.S. national team, which is sending 12 players to Paris. Of the 13 players who trained in Cleveland from April 3-5, nine have Summer Olympic experience. Here’s a look at that roster:
| player | POS. | H.T. | WNBA Teams | Past Olympics |
| Ariel Atkins | G | 5-8 | Washington Mystics | 2020 |
| Shakira Austin | debt | 6-5 | Washington Mystics | – |
| Aaliyah Boston | debt | 6-5 | Indiana Fever | – |
| Chelsea Gray | G | 5-11 | Las Vegas Aces | 2020 |
| Brittney Griner | C | 6-9 | Phoenix Mercury | 2016, 20 |
| Ryne Howard | G | 6-2 | Atlanta Dream | – |
| Sabrina Ionescu | G | 5-11 | New York Liberty | – |
| Jewel Lloyd | G | 5-10 | Seattle Storm | 2020 |
| Kelsey Plum | G | 5-8 | Las Vegas Aces | 2020, 3 for 3 |
| Breanna Stewart | C | 6-4 | New York Liberty | 2016, 20 |
| Diana Taurasi | G | 6-0 | Phoenix Mercury | 2004, ’08, ’12, ’16, ’20 |
| Aja Wilson | debt | 6-5 | Las Vegas Aces | 2020 |
| Jackie Young | G | 6-0 | Las Vegas Aces | 2020, 3 for 3 |
The roster includes four players from the Las Vegas Aces, who won the WNBA Finals last season, and seven players with U.S. national team experience. Young and Plumb both won gold medals with the 3-on-3 team at the Tokyo Olympics.
Clark did not attend training camp in Cleveland because she was playing in the women’s Final Four at the University of Iowa, but U.S. team coach Cheryl Reeve, who also coaches the Minnesota Lynx, still has the option to invite her to join the team.
Caitlin Clark helps boost Olympics TV ratings
That much is hard to debate. Clark participated in a season that brought unprecedented ratings to women’s college basketball, with a total of 18.9 million viewers tuning in to watch the national championship game between Iowa and South Carolina. The WNBA is also breaking records in viewership, with a rookie class that includes Clark, Cameron Brink and Angel Reese helping to drive its popularity.
That will carry over into the Summer Olympics. It’s a rough comparison, but adding Clark to the team would be similar to the impact Michael Jordan had at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Sure, that team wasn’t perfect at the time, since it only had college players, but it did add excitement to Jordan’s NBA rookie year. The results?
Clarke will boost viewership for the Olympics while also generating more interest in the WNBA, a win-win situation.
It’s not a bold prediction to say that with Clarke in the roster, even as a reserve, the U.S. women’s team Blake would break viewership records. Would that get in the way? We’re talking about a team that’s won seven straight gold medals and hasn’t lost an Olympic game since 1992.
Caitlin Clark’s WNBA stats show she’s ready for the Olympics
The Athletic pointed out one reason Clarke may be removed from the roster ahead of training camp starting May 7: “Adding Clarke to the roster could be a contentious decision for the committee because she has not yet attended a senior team camp, which goes against the ideal of ‘fulfilling Team USA obligations.'”
That’s a fair point, as all 13 players on the squad are worthy of going to Paris, but it doesn’t seem too early to add Clarke to the squad.
Clark has proven she can play at the WNBA level. Through nine games, she ranks 13th in the league with 17.9 points, 6.6 assists and 5.1 rebounds. Young and Ionescu are the only other players in the league with a record of at least 15 wins, 5 losses and 4 ties, and they are both young stars hoping to make a team.
What else does Clark have to offer? You guessed the answer: She’s one of the best 3-point shooters in basketball. While Plum (36.7%) and Taurasi (36.1%) have made more 3-point attempts than Clark (32%) this season, Clark would give the U.S. team another capable long-range shooter.
Though it’s a limited sample, Clark has shown signs of superstar potential at the next level, which shouldn’t be a surprise.
Historic Rookie Comparisons Caitlin Clark so far…
– 17.3 points… beating Diana Taurasi (17.0 in 2004)
– 6.3 assists…better than Sue Bird (6.0 in 2002)
– 2.6 three-pointers made…more than Sabrina Ionescu (2.3 in 2020)
– 5.4 rebounds…more than Maya Moore (4.6 in 2011)not bad!
— Micah Adams (@MAdamsStatGuy) May 29, 2024
Caitlin Clark is removed from the Olympic team.
Even if it means making difficult roster decisions, it makes more sense to add Clark to the roster rather than take him out.
That might be the question in any case. The U.S. women’s basketball team roster has had little controversy, except for the exclusion of Candace Parker from the 2016 squad. Parker missed half of the 2015 regular season because of injury.
The Team USA men’s basketball team has had its share of controversy. The 1992 “Dream Team” may have been the greatest basketball team of all time, but fans still wonder why Isaiah Thomas was left off the team. The men’s team has won gold medals in seven of the last eight Olympic Games. Their failure to win gold in 2004 is best known for coach Larry Brown underusing LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. James averaged 11.5 minutes per game and Anthony 6.7. The result?
Team USA women’s basketball doesn’t need any controversy here. Clark has led a transformative year for women’s basketball at both levels — a year that has drawn in general audiences who could become lifelong fans. It’s only fitting that Clark be a part of the celebrations in Paris.
Do you want fans to still be asking, “Why wasn’t Caitlin Clark on that team?” 20 years from now?
We can answer that question too.
