Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green recently weighed in on a contentious topic surrounding WNBA rookie Caitlin Clark and the USA women’s basketball team. Before the 2024 Olympics, many believed Clark should have been added to the Olympic roster even though she had just turned pro.
After losing to South Carolina in the NCAA national championship, the most-watched NCAA national championship game in collegiate history, the Iowa product was selected first overall by the Indiana Fever in this year’s WNBA draft. Due to Clark's rising popularity, Green believes snubbing her off the roster was a mistake, via the Draymond Green Show podcast.
“I think Caitlin Clark should have been on the USA team,” Green said. “The women we got [at the Olympics], I think A’ja Wilson is gonna be the GOAT, but just from a pure branding and marketing standpoint, Caitlin’s the biggest.”
Caitlin Clark's record-breaking rookie season
Clark breakout debut year for the Indiana Fever, notching the WNBA's first triple-double by a rookie in a 83-78 victory against the New York Liberty on July 6. Then, Clark's 19 assists against the Dallas Wings in a 101-93 loss set a new league record for the most assists in a single game.
Clark's impact in her rookie campaign is further evidence of why her name should have been called by Team USA, and, according to Draymond, Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese is going down a similar path.
“For her to not be on the team, Angel Reese, I think for what they’re doing for women’s basketball, that should matter,” Green said. “And by the way, what they showed you in this half-a season is that I’m going to be one of those ones, so it’s OK to bet on me because I’m going to be one of those ones. Angel Reese is leading the league in double-doubles and broke the all-time record. Caitlin Clark is leading the league in assists on a historical pace. They’ve shown you we’re going to be one of those ones. So, you can make that bet.”
Green believes Team USA's women's national team missed a golden opportunity.
“If you think about what the 1992 Barcelona Dream Team did for the brand of basketball, the W is still in those phases of the NBA,” Green said. “The W is there. So, it must be about spreading this globally, and she’s the biggest global star in women’s basketball.”
Clark is averaging 17.1 points, 8.2 assists, and 5.8 rebounds in 26 regular-season games.
Follow Us
Subscribe