Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark headed into the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup as one of the favorites to win the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award. She bagged the MVP title in the qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico in March, and there were expectations that she would repeat the feat in Berlin.
Clark came up short, though. She conceded the title to her USA teammate Breanna Stewart, who stood out as the best player in the entire tournament. The New York Liberty star was named the World Cup MVP after leading the Americans to a perfect 6-0 record, en route to winning their fifth straight world championship and 12th overall.
Stewart was an absolute force throughout the tournament. She started all six games for the U.S., producing averages of 12.8 points on 55.3% shooting, 7.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 23.1 minutes per contest.
The eight-time WNBA All-Star was at her best when it mattered most. She went off for 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting in the final against France, powering Team USA to a 97-79 win. Stewart also grabbed 10 rebounds and added four assists in 30 minutes.
The Liberty forward took to social media on Tuesday to share some of her favorite photos from her memorable World Cup run. “The Standard remains. 🏆,” she captioned her post.
Clark was among her USA teammates who reacted to the Instagram post. The Fever superstar used the opportunity to make her feelings about Stewart abundantly clear.
“GOAT,” Clark commented.
Clark had a key role in Team USA’s gold medal quest. Playing in her first senior tournament for the national team, the Fever superstar averaged 7.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.2 triples in 19.3 minutes per contest.
Both Clark and Stewart are now reuniting with their respective WNBA teams. Clark and the Fever are back in action on Friday against the Toronto Tempo. Stewart and the Liberty, meanwhile, will face the No. 1 seed Minnesota Lynx that same day.
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