I respect your thoughts, but I disagree. I don’t think she is a me first player at all. I don’t feel like NONE of the 12 want to play with her, you don’t want her to play with them. Had she chosen not participate in last olympics she’d be on the team. The only real problem about Candace’s game is she will sometimes argue with the ref and get back/give full out effort on defense effort like I know she can.
That's just not correct. Candace did not CHOOSE to take herself out of Team USA consideration. She was not selected. She may like talking revisionist history these days, or Tenn fans may do that as well, but it was not her choice to be left off Team USA.
Once she was left off the team, she may have come out and said she wouldn't play for Team USA ever again, but that ship had already sailed. She was never going to be considered by Team USA again.
And none of it had to do with her physical talent. When she puts in 100% effort, she's a great player.
This may all be a moot point regarding Candace anyway. I saw an article on SB Nation from 2018 where she is quoted saying she will never play for Team USA again.
Wasn't her choice. It was Team USA's choice.
How she is now, how she plays now, what she says now, it's possible she has changed. But back in the day, Team USA did not want her - and this came from both players, and the committee. I do not speak of that as a fact, but rather reports I heard directly from 2nd hand sources who had communication with the players and committee members. And it was numerous reports from different people, so it's not like it was sour grapes from just one entity.
Take it all FWIW. People who love Candace will always say she was screwed and that it was "done to her". She can certainly spin what she wants now because no one is going to jump up and down (ie. players/committee members/coaches from the past) and dispute it. Just not worth the drama.
As for Nneka, if people are upset enough about it (ie. reporters), they can, and should, push Team USA for an explanation. Some fans think if Nneka was left off for an injury, so should Dee. That's complete crap. Diana has been a leader for Team USA for 4+ Olympic cycles. She's the greatest to ever play the game. She could have been half dead and she'd still have made the team.
Much like the respect they gave to Catch back in the day. Her last year on Team USA, she was the 12th player off the bench and could easily have been left off for others, ie. new blood, but like Dee (and Sue), so much respect for her that she was included. Unlike Catch, tho, Sue is still at the top of her game. A healthy Dee will be a starter for Team USA. Both are still that good...
