College Basketball Star Caitlin Clark Reacts To $5 Million Offer From Ice Cube’s Big3 League: ‘I Found Out’ At ‘The Exact Time You All Did’

Ice Cube, Caitlin Clark

College Basketball Star Caitlin Clark Reacts To $5 Million Offer From Ice Cube’s Big3 League: ‘I Found Out’ At ‘The Exact Time You All Did’

Update (April 1, 2024): Caitlin Clark is speaking out after Ice Cube’s Big3 basketball league offered her a $5 million contract.

The University of Iowa star told reporters ahead of her team’s Sweet Sixteen game against Colorado on Sunday, March 31, per CNN,

“To be honest, I found out about the Big3 thing at the exact time you all did, and my main focus is on just playing basketball.”

She added,

“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. My main focus is on this team and helping us find a way to beat Colorado and hopefully win another one after that.”

(The Iowa Hawkeyes beat the Colorado Buffaloes 89-68, advancing them to the Elite Eight against LSU on Monday, April 1.)

Original Story (March 27, 2024): Multi-faceted entertainer Ice Cube has set his sights on signing basketball sensation Caitlin Clark.

The rapper-turned-sports league owner is not sparing any expense to lock down a deal with the collegiate hooper, reportedly offering her a historic $5 million deal to join his Big 3 league.

Caitlin Clark

After news of the deal broke, Ice Cube took to his X account (formerly Twitter) to share that they didn’t mean for the offer to be made public just yet. Still, the Friday creator used the moment to praise Caitlin Clark’s athletic talent and explained his reasoning behind the offer. In the first of a series of tweets, Cube wrote:

“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.”

And continued:

“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. 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.”

Nancy Lieberman, Lisa Leslie

Cube went on to discuss the limited options for female basketball players in the US in terms of earning an income during their off-season, and how he plans to change things. He added:

“America’s women athletes should not be forced to spend their off seasons playing in often dismal and dubious foreign countries just to make ends meet.”

And followed up with:

“And they 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.”

As one report notes, if Clark takes the offer she would certainly be earning significantly more than what she’ll make in the WNBA next season, and would also be making history. Cube’s 7-figure-deal would see the 22-year-old become the highest-paid athlete in professional women’s basketball, a record currently held by Erica Wheeler who makes $242,000 annually. Clark would also become the first female hooper to join the Big 3.

Though Cube didn’t share any details from the deal, one report claims that Clark was offered $5 million to play 8 regular season games and possibly 2 playoff games. Additionally, she’d have an opportunity for “substantial additional compensation” from merchandising and sponsorship. In another unprecedented move, Clark would also have the ability to play in the WNBA while playing for the Big 3. The report notes that only a couple of games may conflict, so the situation overall seems to work out for all three parties.

Caitlin Clark

With Clark’s stellar career as a collegiate basketball player, there’s no question why Cube is pursuing the deal. This season alone, she became the all-time scoring leader in NCAA history, for women and men, as she conquered former college star Pete Maravich‘s 54-year-old record of 3,667 points.

Clark is currently playing in the NCAA championship and will seemingly play for Indiana’s WNBA team next season. It does not appear Clark nor anyone from her team has spoken about the Big 3 deal at this time.

[VIA]

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