There was a lot of commotion when the USA Olympic women’s selectors didn’t let Caitlin Clark into the squad. Clark had finished as the all-time leading men’s and women’s NCAA scorer and hence, a lot of hooping enthusiasts were furious. Some blamed it on the USA Selectors inclined towards veteran players, while others called it Clark’s poor luck. Now, an NBA veteran Carmelo Anthony has come forward to state his reason why Clark wasn’t selected for the quadrennial event.

“The best player as the twelfth man or the best player at the number one position. You have to earn your keep. I think the timing fu*ks everything for Catilin. You haven’t been to camp. You haven’t been to… you know all of that. And I think those ladies in front of you right now they’ve been there and they’ve earned it. They deserve it and they’re going to go there and win gold medals. You gotta watch your turn,” Anthony stated, via 7 PM in Brooklyn with Melo and Mero.

Notably, the twelve players who have been selected for the Olympics include stalwarts such as Napheesa Collier, Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionescu, Jewell Loyd, Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, Alyssa Thomas, A’ja Wilson, and Jackie Young. The most accepted reason as per Anthony for Clark’s exclusion could be because the 22-year-old couldn’t attend the Paris Olympics camp.

Clark was plying her trade in the NCAA and couldn’t be a part of the training camp which could have improved her chances of being selected. Notably, no rookie has been selected for the Olympic team. While Cameron Brink and Hailey Van Lith have been shortlisted for the 3*3 Olympic basketball, it has come as a surprise that Clark has gone unnoticed even for the same. As per Brink, her “3×3 training camp experience helped” her with her “transition into the league.” However, even when all of Clark’s fans are so sour, the Iowa-born held up with cheered spirits.

Caitlin Clark is not disappointed with her snub

Clark still has a chance of making it as an alternate if any player suffers an injury at the last moment or is unable to represent the team due to some reason. Clark had come to the fore to express her feelings stating, “I know it’s the most competitive team in the world and I know it could have gone either way — me being on the team or me not being on the team. I’m going to be rooting them on to win gold.”

Her coach Christie Sides, on the other hand, has revealed that the rejection took Clark to another level and she is looking to perform up to her best potential. “They’ve woken a monster” was what Clark had said to Sides, as per reports.

Hopefully, Clark won’t take the snub to heart and continue working on her skills. Meanwhile, her fans will also let it go and cheer for the USA team in the Olympics.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the Reese-Clark rivalry and more, watch this video.