Sue Bird on Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese Olympics Snub: "It's Only Going to Make Them Hungrier" (EXCLUSIVE)

On June 11, 2024, USA Basketball unveiled the women's team roster, sparking fan uproar due to the absence of WNBA superstars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese from the lineup.

Given their popularity, it's understandable why the basketball world is disappointed. Yet, both Caitlin and Angel are still in their first year of professional basketball and recognize they have more to learn before representing the United States at the Olympic Games.

Don't worry, folks! We will eventually see Caitlin and Angel in Team USA jerseys at the Olympics — but how might they achieve that goal?

Well, in an exclusive interview with Distractify, WNBA legend Sue Bird — who teamed up with Barbie — shared her thoughts on the situation and offered advice on what Caitlin and Angel can learn from their early career omission from the Olympic team.

When discussing the WNBA's current peak in popularity, we asked Sue Bird what lessons Caitlin and Angel could draw from their exclusion from the Olympic team this early in their professional basketball careers.

Sue offered up a wise response, telling Distractify, "I think it's just gonna be a motivator. I think it's a motivator. I think any athlete could tell you there are always times when you lose the game or you don't win the championship, or you don't make the team, and all that does is fuel you."

"For me, a lot of my moments, a lot of my hardships, I guess, came in the form of injuries. And all it did was motivate me to get back on the court even better, even stronger," she continued. "I always joke like, there's literally no championship team that probably didn't lose dramatically. And by dramatic, I mean, you go home in tears-type vibes. There's no team that didn't lose before they won, right?"

Sue added, "In a sense, you kind of have to have these moments that give you motivation to be able to continue to achieve. So I'm sure for Caitlin [and] for Angel, it's only going to make them hungrier to be on the next Olympic team. It'll be exciting when they get there."

During a July 2024 appearance on NBA Today, Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese discussed teaming up with Caitlin Clark for the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game on Saturday, July 20. She also voiced her desire to join forces with the Indiana Fever's star point guard at the 2028 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

"We're gonna be playing together for a while, so this is not gonna be the first time," Angel explained on the show. "I know we'll be All-Stars again. I know hopefully, [in] 2028 we'll be Olympians together too."

OK, we can't wait to see these two future Hall of Famers bring home the gold one day!