There isn’t a bigger name in college basketball right now than Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark. Make that former Iowa star, rather, as she is set to take her talents to the WNBA for the 2024 season. Caitlin Clark received a major endorsement before the college season even ended when she was invited to Team USA training camp in anticipation of the summer Olympics.
While there is no guarantee that Caitlin Clark will be on Team USA’s final roster for the Olympics, there is at least one former Olympian who believes it’s a no-brainer that Clark should suit up in Paris this summer. WNBA legend and Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie as per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.
“She better be on the Olympic team. We should not leave the country without her. She’s a bonafide baller. There’s no doubt she’s one of the best players in the world,” Leslie said.
Clark ended up not being able to attend Team USA camp as Iowa reached the national championship game. Now that Clark’s college season is over and she’ll be in the WNBA, it’s possible that she could be selected for the final roster for the Olympics.
There is a precedent for that, albeit on the men’s side, when Duke star Christian Laettner was selected to the 1992 Dream Team while he was still a college player. Clark will already have WNBA games under her belt though when the Olympics roll around. The WNBA will take their Olympic break following All-Star Weekend.
Caitlin Clark is set to take on the WNBA
Caitlin Clark technically could have returned to Iowa for one more season of college eligibility due to her COVID year, but she made the decision to declare for the WNBA Draft. She is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever.
During her final college season, Clark shattered quite a few records including surpassing Kelsey Plum to become the NCAA Division 1 women’s basketball all-time scoring leader. She surpassed Lynette Woodard to become the all-time women’s college basketball leading scorer. Woodard set the record when women’s college basketball was still the AIAW.
Clark also surpassed ‘Pistol’ Pete Maravich to become the NCAA Division 1 all-time leading scorer in both men and women’s basketball. She’ll now get to set the nets aflame in the WNBA.
This past season, Clark averaged 31.6 points per game, 7.4 rebounds, 8.9 assists and 1.7 steals with splits of 45.5 percent shooting from the field, 37.8 percent shooting from the three point line and 86 percent shooting from the free throw line.
As a junior, Clark helped lead Iowa to the national championship game in 2023 where they fell short to the LSU Tigers. This season, Clark led Iowa to the national championship game once again only to fall short once again to the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Clark is expected to team up with the Fever’s last No. 1 overall pick from 2023 in Aliyah Boston. Boston was the 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year. The Fever have missed the postseason for seven consecutive seasons now. Fans will certainly be hoping that a tandem of Boston and Clark can turn their fortunes around.
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