Caitlin Clark Being Left Off 2024 Olympics Squad Draws Mixed Reactions From Fans on Twitter

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Despite putting the entire league on notice, no one from the 2024 Draft Class got the call-up to play, for the Land Of Liberty in this year’s Paris Olympics. Caitlin Clark, the torchbearer of the WNBA, and possibly its most popular player, also didn’t make the team, and that has Clark fans up in arms.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Joe Vardon broke the news of Clark’s snubbing by listing the final cut of players that will be making Coach Cheryl Reeve’s national team roster this summer. Clark was one of 14 players invited to Team USA camp from April 3-5, but could not attend as she was leading Iowa to the national championship game in the NCAA Tournament. A very possible reason for the 22-year-old snubbing.

The 12-man roster is undoubtedly veteran-heavy but does have a sprinkle of younger talent as well. The women’s squad will be headlined by five-time gold medalist Diana Taurasi and WNBA Finals MVP A’ja Wilson. The group also is expected to include Napheesa Collier, Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionescu, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Plum, Alyssa Thomas, and Jackie Young.

While she didn’t make the cut, the Fever rookie should keep an eye on Sabrina Ionescu as Clark, who shares a similar playstyle with the Liberty guard, could in due time play backup to the 3 Point Champion. Clark supporters, however, think that the #1 Pick’s snubbing is unjust, and a result of senior players hating the Indiana superstar. Reacting to Shams Charania’s breaking the news of Clark’s snubbing on X, one Clark supporter commented,

“They just hating it’s crazy”

While another fan pointed to Clark’s recent 30-point game against the Mystics as an example of why the Hawkeyes legend should have cut,

” She just knocked down 7 3s and is the #1 pick but can’t even get a bench spot on the USA roster, insane.”

Regular WNBA fans also pitched in with their opinion on Caitlin Clark’s snubbing, with one fan pointing to the fact that the Aces, even though they are WNBA Champions, shouldn’t have four roster spots on the national team, hinting at favoritism being at play,

” But the aces got 4 players on the team no disrespect they’re great players but I think Taurasi put in the word.”

But upon closer inspection of the roster, it’s clear that the selection committee did a rather decent job at putting together the right pieces for the upcoming Olympics. Even without Clark, the team should be able to steamroll through the competition, en route to capturing their 8th consecutive gold medal.

Script Was Supposed To Be Bron Vs Kobe”: Dwight Howard Reminisces Over His 2009 Run To The NBA Finals

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Amidst the excitement over the ongoing NBA Finals, Dwight Howard suddenly decided to turn back the pages. The 38-year-old subsequently looked back on his then-Orlando Magic team’s magical run to the 2009 NBA Finals. However, the 2020 champion had other plans in mind as he utilized the opportunity to hilariously call out the league’s governing body using LeBron James and Kobe Bryant as references.

As per Howard, the NBA had conspired a matchup between Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers and James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in that finals. The superstars of the game consequently even paired up for an advertisement together to build the premise for the series. However, the Magic winning the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cavs abruptly pondered those plans.

Mockingly outlining this incident as ‘breaking the script’, Howard wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “I broke the script lol the script was supposed to be Bron vs Kobe they even made a commercial”.

This statement surfaced because of his initial declaration on the platform. After the Dallas Mavericks faced a humiliating 89-107 defeat against the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Howard shared an ambiguous remark. Hinting at how the league might yet again be conspiring against Kyrie Irving, D-12 wrote, “Will the script allow Kyrie to win”.

This statement received mixed reactions from the NBA community, raising the eyebrows of several. Continuing on this narrative, one fan, in particular, mocked Howard for losing to Bryant’s 2009 finals, replying, “Why didn’t the script let you win against Kobe in the finals? I was perplexed when that script was released”.

So, Howard’s recent questionable comments served as an immediate reaction to this ridicule. As a result, it remained difficult to consider them as the ultimate truth at face value. Additionally, his words carried an underlying tone of accusation toward the league, steering the argument in a much more serious direction than it initially was.

That said, one factor remains undeniable. To this day, Howard remains the kryptonite in the chapters of the Bryant-James rivalry.

Dwight Howard filled LeBron James with lifelong regret

The 2009 season saw LeBron James win his first MVP, and the Cavs cruise to a 66-16 season. Many predicted that Bron would make it to his second-ever NBA Finals series. On top of this, he was on the brink of facing one of his childhood idols in the 2009 Finals. However, it wasn’t meant to be as the Magic won the conference finals with an authoritative 4-2 run.

Later in his career, it paved the way for a massive regret for James. So much so that he once even told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, “I didn’t hold up my end of the bargain in 2009 for the fans, for us, to meet in the Finals. I know the world wanted to see it. I wanted it, we wanted it. He held up his end and I didn’t hold up my end, and I hate that. I hate that that didn’t happen.”

So, a majority of people associated with the NBA undoubtedly wanted Bryant to lock horns with James in the Finals. However, this didn’t mean that the league had planned for it, failing to yet again justify Howard’s stance.

In hindsight, it probably was a great thing that the stories panned out this way. After denying LeBron his first-ever Ring, Dwight Howard would later end up being a part of LeBron’s Lakers in 2020, a run that would win Howard his first-ever Ring. If the “script” truly does exist, there was no better way for it to end.