Video: Suns' Kevin Durant Talks Caitlin Clark's Olympic Roster Snub, Impact on WNBA

Caitlin Clark has quickly become the epicenter of the WNBA universe, and the decision of USA Basketball to leave her off the Olympic team for the Paris Games this summer resulted in quite the debate within the world of sports.

Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant said Tuesday during an interview with the Wall Street Journal that he understood the decision to bypass Clark this time around and spoke on her broader impact for the WNBA as a whole (7:15 mark):

"I still think there's proper steps you have to take in our world to be considered an Olympian. I think she's definitely going to be on one of these teams going forward, but for right now there's better candidates out there I think. But Caitlin's just gotta continue to keep showing up every day. The WNBA is doing a great job of showcasing her. I'm seeing her games on ESPN every other day. No matter what they're talking about, there's a lot of dialogue around the game right now, so that's good as well. But I think as she keeps getting better as a player, her production on the court gets better, then the league will grow, alongside some of the other women as well. A'ja Wilson, there's just so many great players in our league, that Caitlin has helped shine that light on them. And that'll help the league grow over time."

Durant has been a part of three straight gold-winning Olympic teams, so his opinions on the matter hold additional weight.

As for Clark, she's been very good as a rookie, averaging 16.1 points, 6.2 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game, but her cultural impact has been far greater—and at times, contentious—despite the Indiana Fever guard simply going about her business and letting her play mostly do the talking.

There's no doubt that she's helped the women's game grow in popularity. And everyone's taken notice, even superstars like Durant.