WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 07: Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever talks to the media before the game against the Washington Mystics at Capital One Arena on June 07, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

Greg Fiume/Getty Images

Caitlin Clark was snubbed by the 2024 United States women’s basketball team roster for the Summer Olympics in Paris, France.

But what if Clark chose to play for a different country instead?

While that’s not going to happen, it’s actually a possibility. Clark’s mom is Italian.

“I think we can all agree that it would be at least a little funny if Caitlin Clark declared for the Italian national team (Her mom is Italian-American.),” Franklin Leonard joked.

There actually is some precedent here.

WNBA star Nneka Ogwumike considered playing for Nigeria when she was left off the American roster in 2021, though ultimately, FIBA denied her attempt to switch countries.

Becky Hammon, the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces and a former WNBA star, played for Russia at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

“It was a hard decision. I know I’m doing it for the right reasons,” Hammon said.

“I know how I feel about my country. I love what America stands for and that we’re the free world. But freedom has never been free. People have paid for it.”

Hammon chose to play for Russia after not being selected by the United States team.

Clark, of course, will likely just wait until the 2028 Summer Olympics to play for the United States. But it would be pretty epic if she chose to face them instead…