Caitlin Clark’s omission from the 2024 U.S. women’s basketball Olympic roster garnered endless discourse among keyboard warriors and media pencil-pushers alike. Some labeled it a travesty that a rookie still getting adjusted to WNBA life could be left off the Olympic roster. Others were more pragmatic, believing that Clark’s absence could serve her well — after all, she’s been playing non-stop basketball since last fall.

There’s a rumor beginning to gain traction among the cesspool that is social media, however, one that could very well put both arguments to rest. A growing number of Clark’s disciples believe she could actually swap the Stars and Stripes for the Maple Leaf to take part in Olympic competition this season.

Why would Clark — a player with years of U.S. youth national team experience — do such a thing? Fan fiction is really en vogue this time of year, I suppose. The thought of Clark vanquishing her American compatriots might enliven a certain segment of her fanbase…much to her chagrin.

Regardless of the purposes of such tenuous grumblings, there’s clearly a large amount of viewers desperate for Clark’s presence at the 2024 Paris Games. Here’s what you need to know about the prospect of Clark featuring for another country in this year’s Summer Olympics.

Can Caitlin Clark play for the Canadian Olympic team?

Clark is not Canadian, nor are her parents, Anne and Brent. She was born and raised in Iowa, one of those Midwestern states that people regularly prop up as distinctly “American.” There are no legitimate connections between her and the Canadian national team.

That hasn’t stopped some from claiming (or joking) that she can sport Canada’s colors at the 2024 Paris Olympics, however.

If Clark’s parents were Canadian, they could pass down their citizenship to Clark, as she would be a first-generation descendant of a Canadian national. In those circumstances, she could have played for Canada at the Olympics, as she has yet to take part in a major senior tournament with the United States. If she opted to join the Canadians for this year’s Olympic run, she would likely give up her opportunity to wear the red, white, and blue again, barring extraordinary circumstances.

She might have a better case at playing for Italy in international competition, as her mother holds some Sicilian heritage. She would have to obtain Italian citizenship in that case, as well, which would require Clark to prove that her mother’s parents were born in Italy and refused to acquire any other citizenship (US or otherwise) prior to her mother’s birth in Iowa.

That would be a curious choice for Clark, however, because Italy didn’t even qualify for this year’s Olympic Games.

Did Caitlin Clark make the Olympic team?

Despite all the fanfare surrounding Clark’s ascendancy to the W, she was left off of this year’s Olympic roster. Head coach Cheryl Reeve opted to take a veteran-laden side to Paris, with just two players aged 26 or younger featuring in the squad: Aces guard Jackie Young and Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu.