Source: Aaron J. Thornton / Getty
Now, she’s received yet another offer—with a couple of commas attached—from a different basketball league.
We already know she’ll likely be
drafted by the Indian Fever with the first pick in the
WNBA draft, but
Ice Cube has offered her a way to make a couple of million before her WNBA debut. The West Coast rapper put out an official offer for Clark to join his 3-on-3 league,
BIG3 that’ll earn her $5 million.
The best part? She only has to play 10 games.
“Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3,” he said on X. “With our offer, Caitlin Clark can make history and break down even more barriers for women athletes.”
Ice Cube chatted with Pat McAfee, revealing that Clark’s team hasn’t responded to the offer yet, but he urges her to consider the idea because it would move the needle.
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For added incentive, Ice Cube says she’ll get “substantial additional compensation” from merch and sponsorships, which means she could be sitting on a few more big checks.
While it would not only raise the popularity of the BIG3, it would also allow Clark to make significantly more money. According to
USA Today, despite arguably being the most famous athlete in college sports and the projected No.1 pick, she’ll likely make around $76,000/year on her rookie contract. Her jersey will likely see high sales, but as a member of the WNBA, she sees nothing from that.
Even like many NBA players, most of their income is thanks to the league’s exposure but actually comes from off-the-court business deals. Like Michael Jordan, who only made $94 million during his 19 years in the NBA but is now a billionaire largely because of his Air Jordan subbrand, but also deals with Gatorade, Hanes and more.
The same has been said for Clark. According to
Business Insider, she’s the fourth-highest earner in college sports right now. She reportedly has an NIL evaluation of around $3.1 million because of her contracts with Gatorade, State Farm and Nike– and you’ve probably already seen her in a few commercials.
So she’s not hurting for money, and joining the WNBA will only grow her star and help her get even more lucrative sponsorship deals. Joining Ice Cube’s league would be a significant payday for her and another way to solidify the BIG3, which already hosts ex-league talent like Nancy Lieberman and Lisa Leslie. Still, perhaps it’s too soon for Clark.
Either way, Clark getting Ice Cube’s attention proves that she’s on the right path to shake up women’s basketball.
See how social media is feeling about the potential deal below.
