Caitlin Clark gets $5 million offer from Ice Cube, Big 3 basketball league
Iowa women’s hoops superstar Caitlin Clark has a hefty offer to play professional basketball already on the table for when she finishes up college this season.
TMZ reported Wednesday morning that Clark has a seven-figure deal from Ice Cube to play in the rapper’s Big3 League, which features 3-on-3 games. Here was that news:
“Caitlin Clark is in line to make more history — the NCAA phenom could become basketball’s first-ever $5 million woman, if she accepts a massive deal from Ice Cube’s Big3 league … TMZ Sports has learned.
“Sources with direct knowledge of the deal tell us Cube’s up and coming basketball league has already put the unprecedented offer on the table for Caitlin — $5 million to play 8 regular season games and possibly 2 playoff games! That’s it … 10 games for $5 mil, guaranteed.”
Ice Cube himself confirmed the offer, although he says he didn’t want it to come out quite yet. He tweeted shortly after the TMZ report:
“We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship. 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.”
So the offer is official.
More on Clark, WNBA, NIL
According to On3’s own NIL valuation, Clark is currently worth $3.1 million just as a college hooper. Ice Cube’s deal would be a nearly-double increase on that figure, should she choose to give it a try.
But that NIL money wouldn’t go anywhere, either, as the Big3 will reportedly provide “substantial additional compensation” through endorsements and merchandising.
Now, on to the crucial issue here. According to the TMZ report, since the Big3 commitment is only 10 total games at the most, it “would allow her to also play in the WNBA.”
Obviously, the WNBA may not be as big of a fan of Clark playing 10 random games in the Big3 during a WNBA season. However, if that’s what Clark wants to do, then the WNBA may just be forced to let her do it. Because what’s the alternative? Not having the most marketable and jaw-dropping women’s hooper of the last 15 years in the league?
Clark’s the rare player who can be so valuable to a sports league like the WNBA that she may be able to figure out a deal where she can play in both. Because if she goes the WNBA-only route, the money isn’t nearly as high.
Sure, the endorsement and merchandising would be through the roof at either place, but even if she’s the No. 1 pick, Clark would top out at making roughly $76,000 as a rookie. That’s quite a bit less than the $5,000,000 she could make for a quarter of the games in the Big3.
Sounds like the Hawkeye superstar has some business decisions to make when Iowa’s NCAA Tournament run ends.