"He played for a very terrible team in college": Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark takes a playful shot at ex-Iowa State guard Tyrese Haliburton

Caitlin Clark is set to begin her professional career in the WNBA with the Indiana Fever. The point guard was selected as the first pick in the 2024 draft on Monday and she was introduced by the franchise in a news conference on Wednesday.

Caitlin Clark takes a playful shot at Tyrese Haliburton.

Now playing in Indiana, Clark talked about the Indiana Pacers and their playoff journey on Wednesday. She had a subtle joke on Tyrese Haliburton, who had his college career at Iowa State, saying Haliburton played for a terrible college team.

“I’ve watched the Pacers very closely,” Clark said. “My boyfriend works for the Pacers, so I’ve become quite a fan. Tyrese is incredible, and I just want to congratulate him on being named to the USA National Team today, is pretty special. It’s really a hard accomplishment. Obviously, he played for a very terrible team in college but it’s nice to be in the same city now.”

Caitlin Clark wants to make the Olympic team like Tyrese Haliburton

Tyrese Haliburton is on the Team USA Olympic list announced earlier on Wednesday. The list features top players like LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durrant. Caitlin Clark also hopes she will get a place in the women’s team despite the intense competition.

“I would love to be on the Olympic team and Paris in 2024, but that’s not up to me,” Clark said. “That’s a dream. … You grow up watching the Summer Olympics. To me, it’s better than the Winter Olympics.

“I want to be on that team. I want to be an Olympic medalist one day. It’d really just be a dream come true. Everybody knows how competitive women’s basketball is in our country, so it’ll be hard for really anybody to make that team.”

Caitlin Clark is yet to debut for the USA senior national team, but many believe she has a strong chance of making the team considering her exploits in college basketball at Iowa. It is to be seen what the decision of coach Cheryl Reeves will be when the list comes out.

Nonetheless, Clark has a big career ahead of her in the WNBA and should get many chances to make the national team in the years. Arguably the most heralded draft pick in WNBA history, the point guard is seen as a player who could take the league to the next level.

There’s a lot already on Caitlin Clark as she embarks on her professional career with the Fever. However, she dealt with much of the same attention at Iowa and will be poised to get it done once again on a bigger stage.

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Edited by Joseph Schiefelbein