Caitlin Clark’s skilled profession is reaching unprecedented heights earlier than it even formally begins, as Iowa’s celebrity guard has garnered a $5 million supply from the Big3 basketball league co-founded by rapper Ice Dice and Jeff Kwatinetz.
Ice Dice confirmed Big3 prolonged the supply and known as Clark “a generational athlete who can obtain great success within the BIG3,” in a submit on X. He additionally famous that Clark, who can be the primary girl participant within the 12-team three-on-three league if she joins the Big3, “could make historical past and break down much more boundaries for ladies athletes.” There are presently two girls coaches main Big3 groups — Lisa Leslie and Nancy Lieberman — each of whom have guided their groups to titles. Lieberman and the Energy received the championship in 2018 whereas Leslie and the Triplets took the crown the next 12 months.
Throughout an look on The Pat McAfee Present on Wednesday, Dice stated the Big3 is open to different girls becoming a member of the league and steered Clark can be match on Lieberman’s group.
“We expect Nancy can be the right coach for (Clark). Nancy Lieberman is a ground-breaking coach. She’s damaged glasses ceilings in any respect ranges, so we predict it’s an ideal mentor for (Clark) if she desires to play within the league,” Dice stated. “Because the CEO of the Big3, I wouldn’t be doing my job if we didn’t discover this chance.”
We meant the supply to stay non-public whereas Caitlin Clark performs for the championship. However I received’t deny what’s now already on the market: BIG3 made a historic
supply to Caitlin Clark. Why wouldn’t we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can obtain great success within the BIG3. https://t.co/cwzHh7EVau— Ice Dice (@icecube) March 27, 2024
The ten-game schedule of the Big3 wouldn’t intervene with Clark’s skill to play within the WNBA, which she’ll enter this summer time after the draft on April 15. She’s the consensus No. 1 choose, and the Indiana Fever haven’t been shy about their choice. The group shared a cheeky submit to X on Sunday stating “only a informal reminder we’re 22 days from that No. 1 choose,” referencing Clark’s jersey quantity.
Dice stated the supply is a chance to assist permit American girls to earn revenue without having to play in international international locations to complement their WNBA salaries.
“They need to have greater than only one skilled choice within the US at a time when American professional sports activities leagues are being infiltrated by autocratic, anti-women regimes comparable to Qatar,” Dice posted on X. “Our pathbreaking supply to Caitlin Clark demonstrates that BIG3 now gives one other selection for athletes.”
The $5 million wage is considerably greater than pay within the WNBA, which has a group wage cap of $1,463,200 this season, per Spotrac. The WNBA pay ranges from rookie salaries of about $62,000 to supermax offers value practically $235,000. Final season, Indiana’s Erica Wheeler was the highest-paid participant within the league after a $40,000 bonus lifted her wage to $242,154. Clark’s revenue may also be boosted by offers with manufacturers like Nike, Buick, Bose and Gatorade that she signed throughout her collegiate profession.
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There are different choices for ladies within the U.S. presently or within the works and are pushed by girls who play the sport. Athletes Limitless Professional Basketball completed up its 40-woman, four-week league this month. The Unmatched, based by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, introduced plans to begin a three-on-three league final 12 months.
Their efforts are additionally designed to offer gamers an choice to play through the WNBA offseason with out enjoying abroad.
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Since 2017, Big3 has supplied another for basketball followers on the lookout for one thing to observe in the summertime. Former NBA gamers and worldwide gamers have performed three-on-three basketball in venues all around the nation. The league started with eight groups in 2017 earlier than increasing to 12 groups in 2019. Moreover, the league has had partnerships with corporations comparable to Adidas, CBS Sports activities, Monster Vitality and Microsoft all through its existence. But nonetheless, the one main partnership the Big3 can’t appear to develop is the one with the NBA. The Big3 continues to extend viewership, however Dice has stated on a number of events the NBA isn’t eager about investing within the product.
In 2017, Dice and his enterprise accomplice, Kwatinetz, requested the NBA to turn into companions of their new three-on-three league that will depend on the star energy of retired professionals. In keeping with Dice, the Big3 was providing 10 % of his league as a part of a collaboration that hasn’t occurred.
“We have now been supportive of the Big3 since its inception, however we declined to speculate,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass informed The Athletic earlier in 2023.
The U.S. Division of Justice’s antitrust division is investigating the NBA for allegedly pressuring potential sponsors and companions to not interact with Big3, in line with a number of stories.
Whereas the Big3 doesn’t view itself as an NBA competitor, the considered the league being in competitors with the NBA has prevented some NBA traders from placing cash into the Big3. Dice stated some potential traders don’t need to be on the flawed aspect of the NBA, as a result of alternatives to spend money on sports activities groups aren’t plentiful.
Dice repeatedly has identified his league has higher scores with its video games on CBS than extra established sports activities leagues, however he’s additionally dismayed as to why the Big3 doesn’t obtain extra media consideration. He additionally has stated the NBA discourages sponsors, networks and media from masking and supporting his league.
To which Bass responded on to The Athletic: “These claims usually are not true.”
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If Clark had been to affix Big3 she would instantly turn into its largest star and would seemingly enhance the league’s visibility. She set a number of information through the 2023-24 season, and tv viewership numbers from early rounds of the NCAA Match show she’s an enormous scores draw. On Feb. 15, Clark grew to become the NCAA girls’s basketball all-time main scorer, unseating former Washington star Kelsey Plum’s mark of three,527 factors. On Feb. 28 in opposition to Minnesota, Clark eclipsed the three,649 factors scored by Lynette Woodard, the AIAW large-school main scorer. It culminated on March 3, when she scored her 3,668th level to cross Pete Maravich for probably the most factors in Division I historical past, males’s or girls’s.
The Athletic unanimously named Clark the Nationwide Participant of the 12 months this season. She led the nation in factors (31.8) and assists per sport (8.8).
Iowa will proceed its NCAA Match run with a Candy 16 matchup in opposition to Colorado on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. The Hawkeyes hope to make a second consecutive Remaining 4 look and have championship aspirations after falling to LSU within the ultimate sport of the 2023 match.
The Big3 season will tip off on June 15.
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(Picture: Justin Tafoya / NCAA Pictures by way of Getty Photographs)