Kevin Durant said Tuesday he believes USA Basketball made the right decision leaving Caitlin Clark off the Olympics women’s basketball roster despite her popularity.
The Phoenix Suns star said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that Clark still has to go through the process before she can represent the U.S. on the global stage.
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"I still think there's proper steps you have to take in our world to be considered an Olympian," Durant told the outlet. "I think she's definitely going to be on one of these teams going forward, but for right now there's better candidates out there, I think."
Durant had been in the NBA for four years before getting to be an Olympian in 2012.
He added that the Indiana Fever just needs to focus on getting better every day and continue to help shine a light on the league that is as popular as ever.
"But Caitlin's just gotta continue to keep showing up every day," he added. "The WNBA is doing a great job of showcasing her. I'm seeing her games on ESPN every other day. No matter what they're talking about, there's a lot of dialogue around the game right now, so that's good as well.
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"But I think as she keeps getting better as a player, her production on the court gets better, then the league will grow, alongside some of the other women as well. A'ja Wilson, there's just so many great players in our league, that Caitlin has helped shine that light on them. And that'll help the league grow over time."
Clark’s Olympics snub had been the talk of the sports world for a few weeks. She’s still on the top of the alternates list should one player ahead of her go down with an injury.
Clark was the No. 1 pick of the WNBA Draft 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.
She’s taken the league by storm since her pro debut. She’s averaging 16.3 points, 6.2 assists and 5.5 rebounds in 16 games so far.
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