Ted Cruz calls out ‘imbeciles’ after Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub

Ted Cruz called out the USA Basketball selection committee on Twitter on Wednesday after omitting Caitlin Clark from the Olympic roster.

Cruz slammed Clark’s Olympic snub (Image: Getty Images)

Texas senator Ted Cruz slammed the USA Basketball selection committee for its omission of rookie sensation Caitlin Clark from this summer’s hyper-competitive Olympic roster. Clark and Arike Ogunbowale were seen as the most controversial snubs from the Paris Games, and the former Iowa star’s unprecedented popularity and collegiate scoring record sparked tremendous outrage regarding her absence.

Cruz’s tweet, which has since attracted more than three thousand likes, referenced a post from conservative outlet OutKick that noted record WNBA viewership for Clark’s June 16 matchup against fellow star newcomer Angel Reese. “And yet these imbeciles don’t want her on the Olympic team,” Cruz wrote in reply.

While Clark left behind an unparalleled collegiate legacy this spring after falling to South Carolina in the national championship game, breaking Pete Maravich’s all-gender NCAA scoring record, the start to her debut WNBA season proved more volatile. The No. 1 overall draft pick was averaging 16.3 points per game upon the Olympic roster announcement on June 11, but did so with an inefficient 37.3 percent shooting clip and a near 1:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Meanwhile, Team USA fielded an extremely strong roster to continue the nation’s dominance at the Olympic games. Among the top nine vote recipients for last season’s WNBA MVP award, seven are heading to Paris this summer, led by Breanna Stewart, Alyssa Thomas and A’ja Wilson. Five-time gold medalist Diana Taurasi also returns to international basketball’s biggest stage, and USA Basketball selection chair Jen Rizzotti explained that Clark did not satisfy her committee’s criteria.

Cruz slammed Clark’s Olympic snub (Image: Getty Images)

Texas senator Ted Cruz slammed the USA Basketball selection committee for its omission of rookie sensation Caitlin Clark from this summer’s hyper-competitive Olympic roster. Clark and Arike Ogunbowale were seen as the most controversial snubs from the Paris Games, and the former Iowa star’s unprecedented popularity and collegiate scoring record sparked tremendous outrage regarding her absence.

Cruz’s tweet, which has since attracted more than three thousand likes, referenced a post from conservative outlet OutKick that noted record WNBA viewership for Clark’s June 16 matchup against fellow star newcomer Angel Reese. “And yet these imbeciles don’t want her on the Olympic team,” Cruz wrote in reply.

While Clark left behind an unparalleled collegiate legacy this spring after falling to South Carolina in the national championship game, breaking Pete Maravich’s all-gender NCAA scoring record, the start to her debut WNBA season proved more volatile. The No. 1 overall draft pick was averaging 16.3 points per game upon the Olympic roster announcement on June 11, but did so with an inefficient 37.3 percent shooting clip and a near 1:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Clark has struggled with efficiency in the WNBA (Image: Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Team USA fielded an extremely strong roster to continue the nation’s dominance at the Olympic games. Among the top nine vote recipients for last season’s WNBA MVP award, seven are heading to Paris this summer, led by Breanna Stewart, Alyssa Thomas and A’ja Wilson. Five-time gold medalist Diana Taurasi also returns to international basketball’s biggest stage, and USA Basketball selection chair Jen Rizzotti explained that Clark did not satisfy her committee’s criteria.

“Obviously we know the success Caitlin had in college, and she’s had a tremendous start to the WNBA’s season,” Rizzotti told SportsCenter on June 11. “We feel like she’s been a part of the USA Basketball family, and we certainly hope that she will continue to be a part of that in the future. But essentially it was the committee’s job to pick the 12 [best players] based on our selection criteria.”