NBA's Adam Silver shares his thoughts on Caitlin Clark's absence from the US Olympic team

It seems like everyone in America has an opinion on Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark being left off the United States women's national basketball team for this summer's Olympics in Paris – up to and including the most powerful man in the sport.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed Clark's absence from the U.S. roster with a small group of reporters Thursday, as the league prepares for basketball's most prestigious international competition.

“I wouldn’t say I’m disappointed, but it would have been nice to see her on the field,” Silver said. “There is no doubt that she is one of the most popular players in the world today. The ratings show that, the interest we have in her.”

However, Silver admitted that the financial motivations of the NBA and WNBA don't necessarily align with USA Basketball's competitive instincts.

“My job is to get more people to watch and love basketball,” Silver said via Sam Amick of Athleticism. “USA Basketball has a very specific mandate: to field the best team possible, from a competitive standpoint, and I accept that they all did their job as they were asked to do.”

Clark is almost flawless from a popularity standpoint, and she has adapted well (if not perfectly) to the professional game. She also has three gold medals representing the United States in various FIBA ​​junior competitions.

However, it might be a few years before the superstar is truly ready to take on the world stage.

“I want to be fair to the selection committee,” Silver said. “Their job and mandate was to field what they believed to be the best possible team to help the United States compete in the Olympics, and I have no reason to believe they did not do their job as they had planned.”