March 27 (UPI) — The BIG3 basketball league made a $5 million offer as part of a recruiting pitch to Iowa star Caitlin Clark, co-founder Ice Cube confirmed Wednesday on social media.
A BIG3 spokesperson said the offer is for Clark to play in eight regular-season games and potentially the postseason. The BIG3 also would allow her to play in the WNBA.
Clark’s representatives did not immediately respond when asked about the offer from the 3-on-3 league.
“We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship,” Ice Cube wrote in a statement. “But I won’t deny what’s now already out there: BIG3 made a historic offer to Caitlin Clark. Why wouldn’t we?”
Clark, the reigning National Player of the Year and the leading scorer in men’s and women’s college basketball history, is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick on April 15 in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young is the highest-paid player in the WNBA, with an average salary of about $252,000, according to Spotrac.
“Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3,” Ice Cube added.
“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.”
Details regarding how Clark would join a specific team are not yet available. The 2024 BIG3 Draft and combine will be held May 24 in Las Vegas.
The 2024 BIG3 season will start June 14, with the championship game Aug. 18 in Boston. Games will air on CBS, Paramount+ and X.
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Gerald Green, Nick Young, Jeff Teague and Mario Chalmers are among the former NBA players in the BIG3. The coaching staffs include basketball legends Gary Payton, Julius Irving, George Gervin, Lisa Leslie and Nancy Lieberman.
NBA icon Clyde Drexler serves as the BIG3 commissioner.
Clarke, 22, and the top-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes will face the No. 5 Colorado Buffaloes in the Sweet 16 round of the 2024 NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament at 3:30 p.m. EDT Saturday in Albany, N.Y.
