Christine Brennan has publicly criticized Cheryl Reeve after the latter deleted tweets regarding Caitlin Clark‘s exclusion from the 2024 U.S. women’s Olympic basketball team. The controversy escalated when Reeve, who coaches both Team USA and the Minnesota Lynx, highlighted the WNBA’s focus on the Fever’s preseason game against the Wings rather than promoting Clark, who was controversially omitted from the Olympic roster. Brennan criticized this as an attempt to divert attention away from Clark’s snub and questioned the priorities during the Olympic selection period.

Reeve later accused Brennan of portraying her unfairly, labeling Brennan’s coverage as fictional. Brennan responded by sharing screenshots of the removed tweets, drawing more attention to the unfolding dispute. Her book on Caitlin Clark, On Her Game, has intensified scrutiny on the U.S. Olympic selection committee and Reeve’s role, fueling backlash especially after the tweets were deleted.

Brennan condemns Cheryl Reeve’s conduct toward Caitlin Clark during Olympics process

During an interview on The Adam Gold Show, Christine Brennan sharply criticized Cheryl Reeve’s social media behavior concerning Caitlin Clark’s Olympic exclusion. Brennan expressed disbelief that a coach directly involved with the national team would publicly comment on a player still under consideration, calling it inappropriate and damaging.

“How on earth is that OK with the US Olympic and Paralympic community and the USA basketball team that its coach is actively tweeting and going on social media about someone who is in the selection pool?”

She further described the messages as “stunningly bad behavior,” noting Reeve appeared to blame Clark for the lack of Minnesota Lynx games broadcast on television, singling Clark out in a way Brennan found deeply unfair.

“Just stunningly bad behavior by Cheryl Reeve, tweeting at and about Caitlin Clark, kind of blaming her for not having Minnesota Lynx games on TV, but only Caitlin games on TV.”

Details emerge about selection process and aftermath of Olympic snub

Cheryl Reeve stated she was not involved in the Olympic selection decisions. According to Jen Rizzotti, chair of the selection committee, Clark’s omission was based strictly on basketball factors rather than popularity or viewer ratings. Rizzotti explained that some selected players better fit various criteria and that considerations included playing style and votes from the committee members. Despite these explanations, questions remain over the choice to exclude Clark, especially after Team USA’s narrow defeat over France in the gold medal game, where the guard play was criticized.

The Americans managed a close 67-66 victory over host nation France, but some observers questioned the decision to leave Clark off the roster, given the perceived weaknesses in the team’s backcourt during the final.

Controversy highlights tensions in Olympic basketball selections and media narratives

The public dispute between Brennan and Reeve reveals deeper frustrations within U.S. women’s basketball about the Olympic selection process and media coverage. Brennan’s criticism underlines concerns that internal disagreements and social media conduct by influential figures may cloud fair evaluation of players like Caitlin Clark. The deleted tweets and ensuing backlash have intensified calls for transparency and fairness in selecting the best players to represent Team USA in future competitions.