Iowa State superstar Caitlin Clark has received a $5 million offer to join the BIG3 3-on-3 basketball league.
“We intend to keep this offer secret while Caitlin Clark fights for the title,” Big3 founder Ice Cube posted on X on Wednesday. “But I won’t deny it now. What’s Already Happened: The BIG3 made a historic offer to Kaitlin Clark. Why wouldn’t we? Kaitlin is a generational athlete who can have great success in the BIG3.”
The BIG3 recently announced that the league’s seventh season – an all-male tournament to date – will kick off on June 15.
Clark, the all-time scoring leader in NCAA Division I (men and women), is likely to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Indianapolis in next month’s 2024 WNBA draft. In 2024, WNBA lottery draft picks (one through four picks) will have a rookie salary of $77,000, which will climb to $98,000 in a player’s fourth season. Clark made $3.5 million in NIL deals during her college career and will continue to receive significant sponsorship money when she turns pro.
Ice Cube said in a series of follow-up posts that Clark had the opportunity to be a trailblazer in women’s sports and still go to the WNBA.
“The doubters laughed when we had Nancy Lieberman as the first female coach of the men’s professional team, and she won a championship her first year. And then Lisa Leslie Won it all the following year. Through our proposal, Caitlin Clark can make history and break more barriers for female athletes.
“American female athletes should not be forced to spend their offseasons playing in often frustrating and questionable foreign countries just to make ends meet. At a time when American professional sports leagues are infiltrated by authoritarian, anti-women regimes like Qatar, they There should be more than one career option in America. Our groundbreaking offer to Caitlin Clark shows that BIG3 now offers athletes another option.”
Ice Cube’s comments came after Brittney Griner was wrongfully detained in Russia after authorities said they found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil during a search of her luggage. The American star is one of the best players in the world, but while playing in the Russian Women’s Basketball Super League in 2022, she found herself involved in a high-profile prisoner swap. Other WNBA stars subsequently turned down opportunities to play overseas during the WNBA offseason.
It’s unclear whether Clark will be eligible to play in the BIG3 League at the same time as the WNBA. Starting in 2023, the WNBA will introduce new priority rules that limit players’ ability to play overseas.
Clark set multiple records as a senior for the Hawkeyes this season and used her deep three-point shooting and ball-handling skills to elevate interest in women’s basketball to unprecedented levels.
“She plays like Steph Curry, shooting from anywhere on the court,” former NBA point guard and WNBA coach Muggsy Bogues told The Guardian earlier this month.
Shortly after Clark announced his plans to enter the WNBA draft, the Indiana Fever box office was flooded with ticket applicants. “We are seeing a lot of enthusiasm online and on social media,” Pacers Sports and Entertainment said in a statement to The Associated Press. “The organization also found that enthusiasm led to a spike in ticket inquiries.”
“This is Clark Economics,” basketball analyst Debbie Antonelli said. “Her ability to change the pace and the excitement around her was incredible. The socially acceptable thing to do is watch Kaitlyn Clark play basketball.”
Clark and the top-seeded Hawkeyes (31-4) return to the NCAA women’s tournament on Saturday to face No. 5 Colorado in the Sweet 16 in Albany, N.Y.
