Dawn Staley: Snubbed Caitlin Clark would be in 'high consideration' for Olympic team if roster were selected 'all over again​'

Dawn Staley — coach of NCAA women's basketball champion South Carolina and a Team USA's Olympic selection committee member — said rookie WNBA star Caitlin Clark would be in "high consideration" for the U.S. Olympic women's basketball team if the roster was selected "all over again."

Clark's exclusion from the Olympic roster was widely considered one of the biggest snubs in USA basketball history.

NBC host Mike Tirico prompted Staley on the topic earlier this week, asking her to "give me your read on that now that there's been some time."

Staley replied, "As a committee member, you're charged with putting together the best team of players, the best talent. Caitlin is just a rookie in the WNBA. [She] wasn't playing bad, but wasn't playing like she's playing now."

Then Staley acknowledged that "if we had to do it all over again, the way that she's playing, she would be in really high consideration of making the team because she is playing head and shoulders above a lot of people, shooting the ball extremely well. She is an elite passer. She's just got a great basketball IQ, and she's a little more seasoned in the pro game."

Clark has set the sports world on fire since her last year of college at Iowa — and since turning pro earlier this year, she has proven time and time again that she's the biggest draw in WNBA history. Not only is the young player showcasing talent unseen in the women's league, but she also has nearly tripled viewership and doubled attendance wherever she plays.

Reports from June 2024 found that the least attended game for Clark's Indiana Fever was higher than every other team's average home attendance.

For those reasons, many were baffled as to why the Olympic team would not capitalize on Clark's popularity.

"Hey, dummies, for the first time in the history of basketball you have arguably a player who is the most popular player in the world. You could argue right now Caitlin Clark is the most talked about, discussed, most popular, most puts asses in the seats, single basketball player in the world," Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy said at the time.

"And you leave her off the Olympics team?" he asked. "It's not only a showcase for her; it's for the sport and the other WNBA players who are on this team."

Staley is not a stranger to controversy in her own right, either. After winning the NCAA championship, Staley was asked if she thought men who believe they are women should be allowed to compete in women's basketball.

"I'm on the opinion of, if you're a woman, you should play. If you consider yourself a woman and you want to play sports or vice versa, you should be able to play. That's my opinion," she answered.

Team USA defeated Japan 102-76 in its first Olympic contest and will play Belgium on Thursday and Germany on Sunday.

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