Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve made it clear she wasn’t interested in taking questions about the Summer Olympics in Paris on Sunday after Minnesota faced Caitlin Clark.
Reeve, who is also the USA Women’s National Team head coach, appeared annoyed when asked about Clark’s future on the national team.
“Why the hell would I answer a national team question?” Reeve said, according to ESPN. “I’m wearing Lynx. And I’m the head coach of the national team but I’m not the chair of the committee. Anybody want to venture into anything else?”
ESPN’s Myron Medcalf, who asked Reeve the national team question, wrote in a follow-up post that when Reeve “walked by me after her response to that question, she said, ‘Appreciate you.’”
Clark, who was the No. 1 overall pick by the Fever in this year’s WNBA draft, made headlines last month when she was not included on USA Basketball’s 12-woman roster for the Olympics.
Some believed Clark’s celebrity and popularity would increase revenue and viewership at the Summer Games, while others felt the rookie sensation wasn’t yet ready to play for Team USA.
Selection committee chair Jen Rizzotti explained the decision came down to basketball criteria — and not the fame and attention Clark would bring to the games this summer — in a statement at the time.
Prior to the Fever’s 81-74 win over Minnesota on Sunday, Reeve was uninterested when another reporter asked about the heightened attendance at Target Center with Clark and the Fever in town.
Warning: Graphic language
“I don’t give two s–ts,” Reeve joked of the “likely” pro-Fever fanbase in Minneapolis.
When one reporter quipped, “How about one?” Reeve responded with: “[I don’t’ give] not even one s–t.”
The Lynx hosted a sold-out crowd of 18,978 in Clark’s return to Target Center — where she led the Hawkeyes to the Big Ten Tournament title in March.
Clark praised the fans who showed up to support her in Minneapolis.
“There were a lot of Fever fans,” Clark said after the Fever improved to 11-14. “They were cheering, going crazy. A lot of people that probably supported me when I was here playing with Iowa, but it’s a great venue, the Target Center is awesome.
“I remember when I was here in college, and people were lined up like overnight to try to get in the door, and they just love women’s basketball. The city supports women’s basketball, obviously the history here and what the Lynx have been able to do. But yeah, I mean, I guess there’s a little magic in here. Who knows? Knock on wood, because we do come back.”
Clark scored 10 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter and finished with three rebounds and six assists.
“Everybody knows that the reason why our teams around the league are having sell-outs are because Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are coming to town,” Reeve said in her postgame press conference when a reporter asked about how the WNBA can build on its growing popularity.
“Angel Reese has impacted their attendance at the Chicago games, and I suspect on the road as well. So what the league can do is to be ready to co to capitalize on the moments but it’s much like when we saw [Larry] Bird and Magic [Johnson] came in the league [NBA], right.The league has been building for a watershed moment and we’re here, and now you have to take advantage of it.”
Clark and Reese were the only two rookies to be named to the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game, which will top off in Phoenix on July 20.
This year’s WNBA All-Star format will spotlight Team WNBA versus Team USA, which features the league’s stars competing at the Paris Olympics.
The 2024 Olympic Games are set for July 26-Aug. 11 with the women’s 5-on-5 basketball competition taking place July 27-Aug. 11, with the preliminary round taking place in Lille, France.