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WNBA legend Sue Bird called the embarrassment of talent riches available to the United States "a gift and a curse" because it inevitably means star players will get bypassed for major tournaments.
Bird cited Candace Parker in 2016 as the most notable example in an interview with Rachel Nichols on Open Run. This summer, Caitlin Clark's omission from the 2024 Summer Olympics squad sparked a lot of conversation.
"It's the reason for the dominance. We have so much talent," Bird said. "We've always said—and not said it lightly—we could probably field another Olympic team, another World Cup team.