A Japanese women’s basketball fan brought a Caitlin Clark sign to attack the U.S. team ahead of its game at the Paris Olympics on Monday.
NBC Sports Bay Area reporter Kerith Burke caught Team USA stars A’ja Wilson, Brittney Griner and others pointing at the backboard. The Americans were looking to extend their huge international winning streak and defeat Japan in a rematch of the 2020 Olympic gold medal final.
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Team WNBA’s Arike Ogunbowale, right, celebrates after her 3-pointer against Team USA with teammates Caitlin Clark, center, and Aliyah Boston, left, during the second half of a WNBA All-Star basketball game, Saturday, July 20, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
“We need Caitlin Clark to fight for us,” the sign read.
Team USA didn’t need Caitlin Clark or anyone else to overcome Japan. The Americans won the game 102-76.
Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces scored 24 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked four shots. Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Griner, who plays for the Phoenix Mercury, Stewart’s teammate Sabrina Ionescu and Wilson’s teammate Kelsey Plum each scored 11 points.
Clark was not named to the Olympic roster when she was selected last June. She had only played a handful of WNBA games at the time.
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Team USA stands for the national anthem before the match against Team Japan on July 29, 2024 at Stade Pierre Mauroy in Paris, France. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
But as the season progressed, Clark recorded a triple-double and set the single-game assists record with 19 in separate outings.
Clark’s performance appears to have changed Dawn Staley’s opinion of the rookie.
“As a member of the committee, you’re tasked with putting together the best team of players, the best talent,” Staley said on NBC. “Caitlin is just a rookie in the WNBA, she wasn’t playing bad, but she wasn’t playing the way she’s playing now. If we had to do it all over again, the way she’s playing, she’d be a great fit to be on the team because she’s a cut above a lot of players.”
A’ja Wilson #9 of Team USA looks on during the match against Team Japan on July 29, 2024 at Stade Pierre Mauroy in Paris, France. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
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“She shoots extremely well, I mean she’s an elite passer, she’s just got a great basketball IQ, and she’s a little bit more experienced in the professional game in a couple of months than she was two months ago.”
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