Caitlin Clark is in the middle of her final run in the NCAA Women's March Madness Tournament, which also means she's weeks away from turning professional.
The NCAA's all-time leading scorer is widely expected to go No. 1 in the WNBA Draft on April 15, but she isn't limited to just the WNBA when it comes to playing professionally.
She now has another option — and that's to be the first woman to ever play in the BIG3, according to a report by TMZ. The BIG3 is three-on-three professional basketball league founded by rapper Ice Cube which has featured a ton of former NBA All-Stars like Joe Johnson and Rashard Lewis.
The report said that Ice Cube and the BIG3 are offering Clark a $5 million deal to play up to 10 games in the BIG3, a deal that would trump the estimated $76,000 that Clark will make in her first year as the first pick of the WNBA Draft. Clark would still be allowed to play in the WNBA if she accepts this deal with the BIG3 and be able to be compensated even more from merchandise sales, according to the report.
Related: Women's basketball is gaining ground, but is March Madness ready to rival the men's game?
While the league is comprised of male players, it has shown in the past that it is open to breaking boundaries. In 2018, Basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lierberman became the head coach of the team Power, becoming the first woman to ever coach a men's professional basketball team in the country.
She led her team to the championship in her first season.
A year later, WNBA legend Lisa Leslie joined on as a head coach for the team Triplets and led her team to a championship during that season.
Related: Caitlin Clark may already make the WNBA a lot more money before even going pro
Ice Cube took to X (formerly Twitter) to confirm the report and explain his logic for giving Clark the opportunity to play professionally with the men.
"We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship," Ice Cube wrote. "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."
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
— Ice Cube (@icecube) March 27, 2024
offer to Caitlin Clark. Why wouldn’t we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3. https://t.co/cwzHh7EVau
He continued by citing Lieberman and Leslie's successful integration into the league, and how he believes Clark can advanced progress even more.
"With our offer, Caitlin Clark can make history and break down even more barriers for women athletes," Ice Cube wrote.
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…
— Ice Cube (@icecube) March 27, 2024
Ice Cube also sees it as an opportunity for women to stay in the country during the offseason.
Because the WNBA season only runs for about a third of the year — and because contracts in the league are much smaller than in the NBA — women's pro players often play abroad in places like Europe or Australia. A few WNBA stars have actually made more money annually in their contracts abroad, but most use it to supplement their yearly salaries.
"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," Ice Cube wrote.
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.
— Ice Cube (@icecube) March 27, 2024
Ice Cube even took shots at the entry of sovereign wealth funds in American sports as those funds come from countries like Qatar and Saudi Arabia that have dubious histories on women's rights.
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…
— Ice Cube (@icecube) March 27, 2024
While there have been increasing opportunities for women's basketball professionals to stay due to the added endorsements deals and presence of leagues like Athletes Unlimited, Ice Cube's offer is unlike anything ever seen for a women's athlete.
It remains to be seen what Clark has to say for this offer — though given where Iowa currently is, and how Ice Cube even alluded to hoping the news would wait until after March Madness — it's unlikely that Clark will give an immediate answer.
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