WNBA Legend Shared Simple Truth About Caitlin Clark And The Olympics: FLASHBACK

Lisa Leslie wanted to see Caitlin Clark on the Olympic team.

The basketball world is fired up and in shambles after the Iowa star turned Indiana Fever rookie was left off the Olympic team for the games in Paris this summer.

Why was the most famous female athlete in the country not included? That's unclear, but one report claims there were concerns about how her fans might react to her playing limited minutes.

Lisa Leslie wanted Caitlin Clark on the Olympic roster.

No matter what the reason is, not including Clark is an all-time stupid decision. It turns out Lisa Leslie pretty much said the exact same months ago. 

"One hundred percent. One thousand percent. I can't even let you get the question out. I don't know how you leave the country without her," Leslie told Sporting News during an interview back in April when talking about Clark needing to be on the Olympics roster.

Well, to the surprise of Lisa Leslie and everyone else, Clark was left off the roster. Instead of including the face of the WNBA and growing the game, Clark will be kept home.

It's an unbelievably stupid decision. The reality is the USA could send anyone and still win the gold. The talent gap in women's basketball between America and the rest of the world is comical.

Giving a roster spot to Clark would have guaranteed more fans tuned in and paid attention. Now, many people won't care at all. As Leslie said, you simply can't leave the country without Clark on the 2024 Olympics team.

Yet, that's exactly what has happened. To her credit, she handled the snub in very classy fashion.

The people responsible for this decision should be embarrassed. A golden opportunity to grow the game has been ruined by not putting Clark on the team. Let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.