Last month, as Cheryl Reeve was getting ready for her role as head coach of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Team, she also took to X (formerly Twitter) to comment on the first preseason game for the Minnesota Lynx, the WNBA team she coaches. In her posts, Reeve highlighted 22-year-old Caitlin Clark while discussing the decision to televise only one of the games instead of both.
Olympic team snub and the Cheryl Reeve controversy
Fever rookie and 2024 WNBA draft No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark was not included on the 12-player Team USA roster revealed over the weekend.
Although Clark has expressed no disappointment over her exclusion from the team, her fans are expressing confusion and dismay at the decision.
Adding to the controversy, Team USA coach Cheryl Reeve’s previous posts on X regarding Clark, have been deemed inappropriate by many fans.
At the beginning of the 2024 WNBA season, Reeve made several social media posts that some people viewed as jabs towards Clark.
Reeve initially shared a WNBA promotion for Indiana’s upcoming game against Dallas, adding a note that the Minnesota Lynx would also be playing against the Chicago Sky. She mentioned that while fans couldn't watch the game on TV, they could follow the play-by-play on the Lynx app or attend the game in person if they were in the area.
The Team USA head coach also included two hashtags in her post: “#12teams” (referring to the number of WNBA teams) and “#theWismorethanoneplayer,” signifying that the WNBA is composed of more than just one player.
Under Reeve's post, a user on X inquired, “Is there a reason why it’s not being shown?”
Another user commented,“Because they only care about Caitlin”
Reeve responded with a simple “That part.”
Caitlin Clark's gravity
Clark's remarkable achievements in college have undeniably propelled her to become one of the WNBA's most captivating figures, drawing unprecedented attention and interest to women's basketball.
Last month, during her debut with the Indiana team, the 22-year-old broke ESPN viewership records. Additionally, thanks in part to her influence, the WNBA experienced record-breaking attendance numbers in May, marking an all-time high for the league.
Many fans have raised concerns about the appropriateness of Reeve's comments, especially those referring to Clark, considering Reeve's role as the coach of Team USA.
Team USA: No comment
USA TODAY Sports’ Christine Brennan has reached out multiple times for comment from Reeve via a USA Basketball spokesperson over the last four days. “Cheryl told me that she would not be commenting,” the spokesperson, Michael Terry, mentioned in a text to USA TODAY Sports.
It seems that USA Basketball and Reeve are not planning to address the controversial social media posts before the Paris Olympics. According to a report by USA Today Sports on Thursday, both USA Basketball and Reeve declined to comment on the situation.
USA Basketball clarified that Cheryl Reeve doesn't have a direct role in selecting the 12 players for the Olympic roster. The roster is determined by a committee following specific selection procedures.
The team has secured seven gold medals since 1990, making another gold medal almost certain this summer in Paris. While Reeve's absence in roster decisions might indeed be true, considering the numerous potential American rosters that could be formed, the outcomes in Paris would likely remain unchanged.
The basketball events at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris are scheduled to take place from July 26 to August 11.
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