INDIANA Fever star Caitlin Clark has high hopes for Team USA’s women’s basketball team at the Paris Olympic Games.
Clark and her fellow WNBA All-Stars will take on Team USA on Saturday at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
This will provide Clark the opportunity to show Team USA what they are missing after she was controversially snubbed from their Olympic roster.
However, Clark has denied that she feels any extra motivation heading into the game.
“I’m not motivated by anything honestly,” she told ESPN.
“I’m just going out there to have fun. I’m not here to prove to anybody anything.
“This is my first All-Star game. Just have fun, enjoy the experience, [and] compete.”
Clark added that she has “so much respect for Team USA” and the coaching staff, calling them “the most talented team in the world.”
She also felt that once in Paris, they would “have no issue winning gold,” saying she’ll “be supporting and cheering them on.”
Team USA has won gold at the last seven consecutive Olympic Games, and nine in the last 10.
In total, they have failed to win gold just twice since their first entry in 1976.
Clark went on to add that she doesn’t harbour the mindset that “I should be on that team.”
“I know I have so many ways to continue to improve. And it gives you motivation for something to compete for in four years.”
The next Olympic Games will be held on home soil in Los Angeles.
By that point, Clark will still only be 26 years old.
As for Clark’s first All-Star weekend, she opted not to participate in Friday’s three-point contest – an event three-time All-Star Sabrina Ionescu also turned down.
“I’ve been playing basketball for a year straight, it’s not an easy thing to just show up to and shoot off of a rack,” Clark explained, via the Indy Star.
“It’s not something I’ve ever done before.
“It’s not something I’ve had a lot of time to practice, I’ve been focusing on helping my team win games.”
“So I think just enjoying this break, I think there’s going to be plenty of opportunities for me to do that at some point…
“I need a break, and I need to take some time for myself to enjoy what I want to do.”
Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray wound up winning both the three-point contest and the skills challenge.
Relative Articles
None found
