After a brilliant performance leading Team USA in a blowout win over China, WNBA All-Star Caitlin Clark struggled mightily at the FIBA World Cup. In the United States team's second game against Italy, Clark missed all six field-goal attempts and scored just one point at the free-throw line. She managed to grab six rebounds and dish out an assist in playing over 18 minutes for Team USA, but it was nowhere near what many fans and critics typically witness from one of the WNBA's top superstars.
Tina Charles, an eight-time WNBA All-Star and former league MVP, defended Clark after her woeful performance, suggesting the criticism towards the Indiana Fever star was unnecessary. "I think it's a little bit unfair to isolate Caitlin Clark from Team USA, right? Caitlin Clark had rhythms in the first game [against China], so did Team USA.
Caitlin Clark struggled to find that rhythm [against Italy], so did Team USA," Charles said during TNT's coverage of the FIBA World Cup. More news: Caitlin Clark Posts Unwanted First in Team USA’s Narrow Win Over Italy "I think the lesson for Team USA and Caitlin Clark is, 'Ok, what I'm used to doing is not available, or I'm not able to do that, what is the second thing I'm gonna do to impact this game?'" she suggested. "So for me, I think it's a little bit unfair to isolate her from Team USA," Charles reiterated.
In fairness, Team USA's second game was a close 55-52 win against an Italian team that played aggressively and physically in their FIBA World Cup matchup. Team USA shot just 28.6% from the field, and guard Jackie Young was the only player to score in double digits with 10 points. Team USA bounced back on Monday against Czechia, surging to a 105-64 win to close out the FIBA World Cup Group Phase.
Clark scored nine points on 3-for-8 shooting and had seven assists to help the United States win. After going 3-0 in group games, Clark and Team USA qualified for the 2026 FIBA World Cup final phase and await the winner of Tuesday's Hungary-Japan game as their quarterfinal opponent. More news: Caitlin Clark Causes Huge Problem for Nike After Historic FIBA World Cup Game For more about the WNBA and FIBA World Cup, visit Newsweek Sports.
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