In a twist that even the best sports novelists couldn’t have penned, Team USA’s women’s basketball head coach, Cheryl Reeve, is feeling the heat after her squad’s stunning defeat to Team WNBA in the 2024 All-Star Game. It turns out, leaving Caitlin Clark off the Olympic roster was akin to inviting a swarm of bees to your own picnic – the sting was inevitable and excruciating.
The shockwaves from Saturday night’s game are still rippling through the basketball world, as a team of All-Star outcasts, not picked to represent their country in Paris this summer, took down the mighty Olympic team. The irony of it all is as delicious as a perfectly executed fast break.
Clark, the Indiana Fever sensation, who was conspicuously omitted from Reeve’s Olympic plans, had her revenge served cold, crisp, and with a side of schadenfreude. Fans of the Fever star wasted no time pointing out the poetic justice of the situation.
“Cheryl Reeve getting her ass kicked by Clark and the other Olympic snubs is art,” one social media user quipped, encapsulating the sentiment of many. Another chimed in with, “Cheryl Reeve so pissed Caitlin Clark is the best point guard in this game.” The digital sphere was ablaze with similar jabs, each one a dagger aimed at Reeve’s decision-making prowess.
The game itself was a spectacle. Clark, alongside Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese, orchestrated a masterclass in basketball. Clark dished out a rookie record 10 assists, while Reese tallied her signature double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, propelling the All-Stars to a 117-109 victory.
However, it was Arike Ogunbowale who truly stole the show. The Dallas Wings guard lit up the scoreboard with an All-Star Game record 34 points, leaving spectators and even her teammates in awe.
Despite standout performances from Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson, who scored 31 and 22 points respectively, Team USA found themselves outgunned and outplayed. Now, as they head to Paris for the Olympics, they’ll do so with heads hung low and a coach with a mountain of explaining to do.
Reeve’s exclusion of Clark may go down as one of the most baffling decisions in recent memory. As the saying goes, “revenge is a dish best served on the court.” For Caitlin Clark, that dish was a gourmet feast, and Cheryl Reeve was left holding the bill.