Caitlin Clark on offer to play in Ice Cube's Big3: 'My main focus is just on playing basketball'
Iowa star Caitlin Clark hasn’t considered a $5 million offer from Ice Cube to join the Big3 at this point, she said on Friday ahead of the Sweet 16.
Instead, Clark is only focused on her team and trying to get back to the Final Four.
“Yeah, to be honest, I found about the Big3 thing at the exact time you all did, and my main focus is just on playing basketball. I think that’s the biggest thing,” Caitlin Clark said.
Iowa is the No. 1 seed in the Albany 2 bracket and is set to face Colorado on Saturday with a spot in the Elite Eight on the line.
In addition to being offered $5 million to play in the Big3, Clark has also been invited to the USA Basketball Women’s National Team training camp. However, it will be held April 3-5, which is during the NCAA Tournament.
Clark is hoping to still be playing for a national championship and not working with the USA Basketball Women’s National Team.
“USA Basketball… that’s your dream. You always want to grow up and be on the Olympic team, but lucky for me, I have the opportunity of possibly not doing that, because I want to be at the Final Four playing basketball with my team,” Caitlin Clark said. “But if not, that’s where I’ll be. People that are on that roster are people that I idolize and have idolized growing up. Just to be extended a camp invite is something you have to be proud of and celebrate and enjoy.”
Clark is averaging 31.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.8 assists on the season. She led Iowa to wins over Holy Cross and West Virginia in the opening two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Now she is two wins away from leading her team back to the Final Four.
“More than anything, my focus is on winning these two games, and that’s exactly how it should be. I honestly don’t talk about those things with really anybody. I have other people that deal with it, and they haven’t said a word to me about it,” Clark said. “My main focus is on this team and helping us find a way to beat Colorado and hopefully win another one after that.”
In addition to Caitlin Clark, Iowa coach Lisa Bluder also spoke about the $5 million offer from Ice Cube to play with the Big3, as well as Clark’s opportunity to play with the USA Women’s National Team.
“We haven’t even talked about it, to be quite honest. It doesn’t have anything to do with us right now. Let’s not even talk about it,” Bluder said. “She did tell me about the invitation that she was getting for USA Basketball, but she hopes that she’s not there. We all hope she’s not there next weekend. But she was invited, and she shared that with me.
“The other stuff, that’s just — it’s crazy.”