Before Caitlin Clark stepped foot on a WNBA court, she was a polarizing figure: beloved by many and considered overhyped by others as a college star.
Nearly a month into her rookie season, the 2024 No. 1 overall pick has become a daily topic of conversation no matter how she performed on the court the night before. The latest news surrounding Clark is almost certain to fuel the fire around her.
According to multiple reports, Clark was not selected by USA Basketball to play in the 2024 Olympics. According to reporting from Christine Brennan of USA Today, part of the reason Clark wasn't chosen is due to the massive amount of attention surrounding her and the limited amount of playing time she would likely receive on a team stacked with talent.
This will be a focus of my reporting on this story. I can’t tell you how knowledgeable these sources are. Impeccable. pic.twitter.com/nEmj76p3AY
— Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports) June 8, 2024
Clark hasn't consistently displayed the flashes that made her a star at Iowa through her first 12 games with the Indiana Fever, which is to be expected from a rookie. Clark played 39 games in her final college season, which ended on April 7, and then played her first regular season WNBA game 38 days later.
Clark leads all WNBA rookies in points per game (16.8) and assists (6.3), ranks second in steals (1.5), and fourth in rebounds (5.3). She won Rookie of the Month in May and had her best game as a pro with 30 points on seven 3-pointers Friday night against the Washington Mystics.
Despite the quick turnaround and spotlight, Clark still has a massive lead in the Rookie of the Year betting odds. At FanDuel, Clark is a -850 favorite to win Rookie of the Year with the rest of the field listed at +500. Cameron Brink has the next shortest odds at +900.
If Friday's game is any indication, Clark could be rounding into form, which could make her omission from Team USA more glaring when the Olympics begin in July.
