Iowa women’s basketball superstar Caitlin Clark is the center of the sporting universe right now. Clark is doing things in her sport that we’ve only seen Warriors superstar Stephen Curry do in college. She’s taken the college women’s game by storm and is set to do the same thing at the pro level, the WNBA.
However, we might not need to wait too long to see her shine outside of college basketball. Ice Cube, hip-hop musician, actor, and founder of the Big3 league, has extended an offer to Clark, wanting her to participate in his league this season. Cube pleased his case via Instagram while offering her a lucrative deal.
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. 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.
The deal is reportedly a one-year, $5 million contract. According to Clutch Points, Clark would make $625,000 per game, which is more than Lakers superstar LeBron James, who makes $580,577 per game through the course of an 82-game season. Clark would only play in eight games; however, that is still a ton of money.
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The Big3 League was created by Ice Cube in 2017. It is a 3-on-3 basketball league that features many former NBA and international stars fighting for a title and bragging rights. This league has grown every year. With the potential addition of Clark, this move could take the league to new heights.
The 22-year-old would be the first female to play in the games. While they already have females in the league, like Nancy Lieberman and Lisa Leslie, they haven’t had any women play in it. This would be a game changer for the sport and reveal the adage question, “Could women compete with men at the highest level?”
Whether she accepts the deal or not, there’s no denying how genius of a move this is for Cube and his league. They should only receive more viewers this upcoming season, especially if Clark is involved.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.