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Come Fan with UsFriday, June 19, 2026

Did Candace Parker’s beef with Geno Auriemma keep her out of the Olympics?

She certainly thinks so.

Candace Parker is one of the best women’s basketball players in the history of basketball, and she was in her prime in 2016. She was also left off the 2016 Olympic team. What the hell? Did she commit some crime and couldn’t leave the country? Was she pregnant? Did she accidentally scratch the president of USA basketball’s car when leaving her parking space? No, no, and no. So what gives?

Well, some people, including Parker, believe USA basketball coach Geno Auriemma kept her off the team simply because he does not like her. Wherein lies the heart, the blood, and the soul of our beef.

Geno Auriemma is best known as the extremely successful coach of UConn women’s basketball. While a wild proportion of WNBA stars attend UConn, Candace Parker did not. She played for the Huskies’ greatest rival, the University of Tennessee.

Candace’s accusation forces us to ask questions like: why are there so many UConn players on Team USA? Does Auriemma still hate the University of Tennessee? Why did Geno bench her in the 2012 Olympics? And here’s the big one: why was she cut from the 2016 Olympic team?!

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