Caitlin Clark tops list of alternates for women’s Olympic basketball team: report

Caitlin Clark was not selected as one of the first 12 players to make the U.S. Olympic women’s national basketball team, but there still appears to be a chance she could be representing the Stars and Stripes in Paris.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania said Monday on FanDuel TV’s “Run It Back” that the Indiana Fever rookie is on top of the alternates list in case one of the 12 players gets injured.

“I’m told Caitlin Clark and Brionna Jones are atop the alternates list for Team USA if there is needed to be a replacement,” Charania said.

Jones is a two-time All-Star who has spent her entire eight-year career with the Connecticut Sun. She is averaging 13.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game for the Sun this season.

Clark’s reported snub from the Olympic roster sparked a firestorm over the weekend.

Clark was the No. 1 pick of the WNBA Draft back in April after leading Iowa to back-to-back national championship games and setting the mark for all-time scoring in college basketball. She was unable to attend the national training camp in Cleveland after she was invited because Iowa was in the Final Four.

Over the last two years, Clark has drawn millions of new fans to the game. The Iowa-South Carolina national championship was the most-watched women’s college basketball game. Her games with the Fever are among the top in WNBA ratings this season, not to mention the fan support she has received at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and elsewhere.

WNBA veterans Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner are reportedly set to be on the roster along with Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, Jewell Loyd, Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young. Alyssa Thomas, Sabrina Ionescu and Kahleah Copper will be first-time Olympians.