When Candace Parker claimed that her unlikely omission from 2016 Olympics was down to personal dislike

WNBA legend Candace Parker once spoke about her omission from the 2016 Olympics. In an interview with sports journalist Taylor Rooks in 2021, Parker was candid about her exclusion from the Team USA roster, apparently due to the beef with UConn Huskies coach Geno Auriemma.

During a podcast between her and Rooks for Bleacher Report, Candace Parker opened up on her strained relationship with Team USA. Expressing that she "doesn't have one," the star explained how she rooted for the team but didn't care about them anymore:

"I am happy for them when Chelsea (Gray) and especially Napheesa Collier are the two that I am really close with. You know I don't have one (a relationship)."

Continuing to lament the team, Parker went off on how she was rejected not because of her on-court performances but rather due to a personal dislike:

"I went to a camp, I got a triple-double at the camp, (I) was I think first or second in scoring, it wasn't on the court," she said "I don't think I personally fit, I don't think Geno wanted me on the team. So it's like one of the things like cool, just tell me," Parker expressed highlighting her strained relationship with Auriemma. (From 37:19 onwards)

The relationship between Parker and Geno Auriemma reportedly went south when the former decided to represent UConn's local rivals at the University of Tennessee. Furthermore, Candace Parker won two NCAA titles while there, dominating the UConn Huskies and bringing a hold to UConn's dominance under the Italian.

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Candace Parker opens up on her strained relationship with Geno Auriemma

During her interview with Taylor Rooks in 2021, Candace Parker spoke on various topics including her Olympic omission. The former LA Sparks star also gave her take on her strained relationship with Auriemma, saying that the duo didn't "like" each other.

Questioned by Rooks on her relationship with the UConn legend and why it was the way it was, Parker candidly replied:

"I mean he doesn't like me, I don't like him, we don't like each other. But I think I am of this mindset and this is where I think sometimes I get misunderstood, I am of that mindset that I don't have to like you to play with you, I don't have to like you to work with you, and that's fine, it's cool, they made their decision." (From 39:18 onwards)

Despite her no-holds-barred comments, Candace insisted she is not hung up on the past. After her omission from the Team USA team in 2016, Parker never again played for the national team, despite winning two gold medals in 2008 and 2012.