Caitlin Clark’s snub from the 2024 US Olympics team made headlines on Saturday, but it’s not the first time a WNBA superstar didn’t make the cut in recent years.
Caitlin Clark’s snub from the 2024 US Olympics team made headlines on Saturday, but it’s not the first time a WNBA superstar didn’t make the cut in recent years.
Candace Parker, a two-time WNBA MVP was left off the team for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Parker said she believes her snub was a direct result of Geno Auriemma — the Connecticut Huskies head coach who had considerable influence on the 12-woman roster — not wanting her on the team.
“As soon as he [Auriemma] was named the coach again, I was like ‘Ah, well, this is gonna be interesting,’” Parker said. “He doesn’t like me. I don’t like him. We don’t like each other.”
Parker called the league’s politics into question during her snub.
“There’s a number of players who are deserving … but how many times are we gonna say it’s unfair?” Parker told reporters at the time.