The reason why Caitlin Clark fans are mad at USA Basketball again

Jeremy Beren

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The reason why Caitlin Clark fans are mad at USA Basketball again image

Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Caitlin Clark received a rare honor this week when she was confirmed as one of only 18 invitees to a 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup training camp.

The camp takes place in Durham, North Carolina, under the watch of Duke University and United States women's national team head coach Kara Lawson, between Dec. 12 and Dec. 14.

It will give Clark a shot to make her senior national team debut next September, when the national team heads to Germany in a bid to win the Women's World Cup for the fifth time in succession. It is perhaps everything that Clark, a two-time WNBA All-Star with the Indiana Fever, could have asked for -- especially after a series of injuries limited her to 13 games played during the 2025 season.

However, some of Clark's fans on social media are less than pleased with USA Basketball, despite its extension of an invite to the Fever star.

Clark 'snubbed' from training camp graphic

Fans on Tuesday took to X to express their displeasure that Clark was not included in a graphic that announced the training camp squad.

In her place, USA Basketball chose Phoenix Mercury wing Kahleah Copper, Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum and Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young, three players who have won a WNBA championship and  an Olympic gold medal.

"Where's Caitlin on the poster?" One fan asked.

"It never gets old that the most popular player in the league is left off posters like this," one user wrote. "Can you imagine leaving Magic (Johnson) or (Michael) Jordan off a poster?"

"So the three most popular players on this roster of CC, Angel (Reese) and Paige (Bueckers) are not on the photo to promote USA basketball," another said. "Seems appropriate. Bunch of marketing geniuses."

The split between Clark fans and national team fans is nothing new.

Many observers were surprised when former national team coach Cheryl Reeve left Clark off the roster for the Summer Olympic Games last year -- a competition that began a month into Clark's WNBA career.

Though the US won gold at the Olympics in 2024 -- and Clark seems well-positioned to play at the FIBA World Cup in 2026 -- her fans continue to make their feelings clear about whether USA Basketball is prioritizing the star guard enough.

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Contributing Writer