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Caitlin Clark did not make Team USA for the women’s basketball competition at the Olympics in Paris and for good reason. She was a rookie who did not perform particularly well during the early going. Fine.
However, the United States struggled to compete during the early rounds of the tournament and came remarkably close to an upset loss in the Gold Medal game against France. That cannot happen.
The WNBA is the top women’s basketball league in the entire world. There is no greater pool of talent and the vast majority of the top players are American citizens. No matter how popular the sport is becoming on an international level, Team USA should win every world championship by a comfortable margin. Nigeria should not come within 14 points of victory; it should be a blowout. France should never get within one point of an Olympic gold medal.
And yet, that is exactly what happened in Paris! Team USA narrowly escaped with a win.
That close call led the organization to reevaluate its management structure and make necessary change.
According to Chantel Jennings and Joe Vardon of The Athletic, Sue Bird is going to be named as the managing director for the USA women’s national team for the 2028 Olympic cycle. Her role will be similar to that of Grant Hill on the men’s side. She will be “largely responsible for selecting both the player rosters and coaching staff for both the Olympic team and the World Cup team.”
Thank goodness.
Cheryl Reeve proved last summer that she must not return to coach Caitlin Clark in Los Angeles. The decision to leave the eventual Rookie of the Year off of her roster was one thing. However, she made it super awkward and failed to check her attitude about the biggest story in sports at the time. And to make matters worse, Reeve completely mismanaged the roster she helped to hand pick while in Paris.
This is where Sue Bird comes into the equation!
The four-time WNBA champion and 13-time All-Star is going to be the primary figurehead in charge of roster management. A coach like Reeve cannot make decisions based on feelings. A player like Clark will not again be left out because of a personal vendetta.
The timing of this new role also comes at a pivotal point in Team USA history. There is going to be a lot of turnover between the older generation, like the great Diana Taurasi, and the younger generation of stars like Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, Hailey Van Lith, Cameron Brink, and Caitlin Clark. The roster for 2028 will look very different than 2024.
A changing of the guard is on the way, if you will, and Sue Bird will be at the forefront of that change. That is a great thing— especially after the (nearly) disastrous run of Cheryl Reeve!