The Olympic campaign for Team USA has made a delightful start. By taking down Japan in their opening fixture, they have taken the first steps towards their quest for an 8th consecutive gold. But back home, things are quite delightful for anyone who is a Caitlin Clark admirer. Even more so, when decides to treat them with a special Kobe Bryant touch.

Rookie Caitlin Clark is back in business. It appears that her “I’m on vacation” phase is over as she is ready to get the basketball in her hands once again. This was evident recently when along with her Fever teammates she took the hardwood again sweating it out. However, that is not the only thing worthy enough to gain some traction. As it turns out, after donning the Nike Kobe 6 Protro at the All-Star game, the 6-foot-guard adds another Kobe gem to her collection. And that being the unreleased Kobe 5.

Seemingly, the connection of the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer with these sparkling Kobe kicks is nothing new. In her rookie season only, she has flaunted a range of such sporty footwear in tribute to the legendary Lakers stalwart. The list includes “Bruce Lee” Kobe 5 (against LA Sparks and Las Vegas Aces), and Italian Camo Kobe 6 which were on display while facing Connecticut, New York, Chicago, and more.

Moreover, Clark’s “Grinch” Kobe 6 raised a lot of eyebrows in Indiana’s face-off against Seattle Storm and Phoenix Mercury. And, “All-Star” Kobe 6 took center stage in Fever’s season opener game involving the Dallas Wings.

In the meantime, the deep shooting abilities of Caitlin Clark are being missed by the fans at the Paris Olympics after the team displayed a poor 3-point performance, going just 4 of 20 from beyond the arc. This comes just a day after 4× WBCA National Coach of the Year Dawn Staley advocated for her selection in the chosen squad.

Dawn Staley’s latest admission on Caitlin Clark

The snub of Caitlin Clark from the Olympic team had many sympathizing with the rookie. Now that includes this year’s Jimmy V Award for Perseverance winner Dawn Staley as well.

Speaking to NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico, she expressed, “Caitlin is just a rookie in the WNBA, wasn’t playing bad, but wasn’t playing like she’s playing now. If we had to do it all over again, the way that she’s playing, she would be in really high consideration of making the team. She is playing head and shoulders above a lot of people”. 

Caitlin Clark has indeed been quite phenomenal as a newcomer in the WNBA. Currently, she is the league’s assist leader with a total of 213 assists. In addition to this, her 71 three-pointers place her third overall.

The debate will continue to grow on whether Caitlin Clark deserved a shot at the Olympics or not. Anyhow, ignoring all the noise around her, the 6-foot guard chooses to focus on the game. It will be interesting to see how she carries on when the season resumes after the break.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And, join us for the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show”. Our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.