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Caitlin Clark is expected to be the first pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft in April, but her biggest payday could come from another pro league.
Ice Cube confirmed on Wednesday, March 27, that his Big3 Basketball League made the Iowa guard a “historic offer” that multiple outlets report to be worth $5 million.
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The contract would be for Clark, 22, to play in the league’s eight regular season games this season, plus two playoff games if her team qualifies. The Big3 told People that the commitment would not interfere with Clark’s WNBA eligibility, though the two seasons’ schedules overlap. The WNBA didn’t respond to inquiries about Clark playing in both leagues, but a league spokesperson stated that Clark can make up to $500,000 in her rookie season, plus millions more in endorsements.
“We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship,” Ice Cube, 54, wrote via X. “But I won’t deny what’s now already out there: BIG3 made a historic offer to Caitlin Clark. Why wouldn’t we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3.”
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Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes are gearing up to compete in the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament. They will face the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday, March 30. A win would put the Hawkeyes in the Elite Eight, while a loss would end Clark’s historic college career. The senior is already the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer and seems to break another scoring record every time she takes the court.
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The Indiana Fever will almost certainly take her with the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft, meaning she will continue her pro career this summer for a Fever team that won just 13 games in 2023.
Ice Cube continued his thread on X, touting the Big3’s history of elevating women in basketball, from Nancy Lieberman to Lisa Leslie.
“The skeptics laughed when we made Nancy Lieberman the first female coach of a men’s pro team, and she won the championship in her first year,” he said. “Then Lisa Leslie won it all in year two. With our offer, Caitlin Clark can make history and break down even more barriers for women athletes.”
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He added that women athletes shouldn’t have to spend their offseasons “playing in often dismal and dubious foreign countries just to make ends meet.” This is a reference to how many WNBA players spend their winters, competing in overseas leagues to supplement WNBA salaries that have grown but are still not enough for most players, particularly those on rookie contracts.
Ice Cube concluded his statement saying that women athletes “should have more than just one professional option in the US at a time when American pro sports leagues are being infiltrated by autocratic, anti-women regimes such as Qatar. Our pathbreaking offer to Caitlin Clark demonstrates that BIG3 now offers another choice for athletes.”
It’s important to note that women already have more than one professional option — Athletes Unlimited Basketball just wrapped up its third season, while WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier plan to launch a 3-on-3 league called Unrivaled.
Still, no league has been able to offer a salary to match what Big3 plans to offer Clark. The only question is whether the Hawkeye hooper will take it.
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