Chris Evert recently questioned Caitlin Clark’s omission from the US women’s basketball team for the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Indiana Fever star player was the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft earlier this year.
The women’s basketball roster for Paris 2024 is stacked with many extraordinary players, including A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Sabrina Ionescu, and Brittney Griner. Other members of Team USA are Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Diana Taurasi, Kahleah Copper, Jewell Loyd, and Alyssa Thomas.
However, the one glaring omission was that of Clark, and many people, including Evert, were taken aback by the decision. The American took to her X (formerly Twitter) account to express her thoughts:
“Wait, why didn鈥檛 she make the team? Can somebody explain that to me?馃馃馃え.”
Keeping Clark off the US Olympic women’s basketball roster has irked many, as she was named the Rookie of the Month for May, averaging 17.6 points per game with the help of 6.6 assists and 5.1 rebounds.
Evert: Caitlin Clark is making the sport better
Martina Navratilova, another tennis legend, recently complimented Clark for drawing attention to the WNBA in the wake of Angel Reese and other players acting hostilely toward the Indiana Fever star.
“The players in the WNBA need to realize that Caitlyn Clark is helping all of them, now and in the long run. Caitlyn is the tide that will raise all boats!” Martina Navratilova wrote.
A fan, while replying to Navratilova, wrote that the WNBA must take a leaf out of Billie Jean King’s book of how during the 1970s,聽King intervened to ease the tension聽between the old guard and newer players like Navratilova and Evert.
“Much the same as when @BillieJeanKing told the #Original9 & other early @WTA players to embrace instead of criticize @ChrissieEvert because she in ’71-74 (& then you from ’75 onward) raised the bar for #tennis!” a fan wrote while drawing comaprison with tennis.
Chris Evert responded to this by revealing that there聽was indeed some jealousy聽but King stood up for her, adding that she hoped the WNBA would also embrace Clark.
“Yes, there was jealousy towards me… It didn’t feel good. I was just a teenager. BJK stood up for me 鉂わ笍I hope women’s basketball follows suit. @CaitlinClark22 is making the sport better,” Chris Evert wrote on X.
