Caitlin Clark is the talk of the town in the WNBA; everything she does, says, or is merely involved in sets the entire sports world ablaze. Thus, when reports came out that Clark won't be making the Team USA roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics, many came out in defense of the Indiana Fever guard, saying that she very much deserved a ticket to France in July.

After all, some fans thought, what better way for the WNBA to help in continuing to grow the sport by giving the 22-year old guard some exposure on the grandest international stage? Even Stephen A. Smith was flummoxed by the exclusion of Clark, who, despite not having an ironclad argument to make the roster over those who did in a basketball sense, deserved a spot all the same because of how she draws viewers to the sport.

“The WNBA [needs the added attention]. You got a max salary of $250,000. [The attendance numbers] certainly wasn't where you wanted it to be. Just the other day, you got a team in the Indiana Fever, with their struggling selves — no other team was worse other than the winless Washington Mystics — and they went from 4,000 in attendance to 17,000!” Smith exclaimed.

“This girl is box office! I said a rising tide lifts all boats. What you do [is include Caitlin Clark], especially if you're Team USA and you're trying to be globalized and there's an opportunity to globalize the WNBA brand, so people like Brittney Griner and others don't have to go to Russia in the offseason to play additional basketball to get extra income. They could stay right here if the sport elevates it popularity and you ladies start to get what you richly deserve!”

Stephen A. Smith went on to hammer his point home by saying that Team USA, regardless of who they selected to round out the final two spots of their 12-woman roster, would most likely have won gold at the Olympics anyway. After all, they have won seven gold medals for women's basketball in a row.

Lightning in a bottle in the form of Caitlin Clark's popularity doesn't come around often for the WNBA. In fact, this scale of fame is unprecedented for the league. There may be strong justifications for both the Fever guard's inclusion and exclusion from the Olympic roster, but it's hard to argue that Smith does not make sense in this regard. Clark, however, should be a shoo-in for 2028 if she continues on her current trajectory.

Did Team USA not learn from history?

Stephen A. Smith also added that there's a precedent for Team USA to prioritize marketing their brand on a more global scale than to make sure that every roster spot is filled by the most deserving candidate. Smith brought up the 1992 Dream Team's inclusion of Christian Laettner, who, while being a decorated collegiate player, made it over the likes of Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Dominique Wilkins, and Isiah Thomas, among a few other snubs.

“He was white! And he had his own cachet! He brought it to the table. He was a big-time collegiate player who was white and busting people's you know what!” Smith added. “They couldn't miss, and they didn't need him! You had Jordan, you had Magic, you had everybody and you still picked that dude.”

Christian Laettner ended up playing in all eight games of the 1992 Dream Team's unbeaten run in Barcelona. He averaged 7.6 minutes a night on mop-up duties as Team USA steamrolled the opposition, winning by an average margin of 44 points.

Given how dominant the women's team has been throughout the course of the 21st century, Caitlin Clark could have played a similar role while drawing eyes to the competition. Clark would not be playing ahead of Team USA veteran Diana Taurasi, nor would she get more playing time than Sabrina Ionescu and Kelsey Plum. But the Fever guard's minutes in the Olympics would have been must-see television.

Caitlin Clark wasn't the only WNBA star snubbed — or was she?

While Caitlin Clark's exclusion has garnered most of the headlines, many pointed out another egregious snub that the Team USA selection committee made. Many thought that Dallas Wings star Arike Ogunbowale should have made the team easily especially when she has been one of the WNBA's top scorers.

Clark's argument for making the team may stem mostly from her off-court magnetism, but Ogunbowale made a bit of sense from a basketball point of view, making it rather confusing for some that she didn't make it. However, behind Ogunbowale's admittedly impressive stats is some unappealing efficiency numbers. She may be averaging 26.4 points, but she's doing so on 36.1 percent shooting from the field (30 percent from deep). Her true shooting percentage is at 48.7.

Some may argue that Ogunbowale's efficiency could improve while playing alongside more talented players. Perhaps that is true. But she has gotten accustomed to playing a volume-shooting role which won't exactly translate well to Team USA's egalitarian offense that is more tailor-made for international basketball success.