Jeffrey Becker/USA Right now Sports activities/Reuters
Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark performs towards the Penn State Nittany Lions at Carver-Hawkeye Area on February 8, 2024.
CNN
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Iowa Hawkeyes celebrity Caitlin Clark was requested Friday a few much-publicized supply to hitch the Big3, a 3-on-3 skilled basketball league based by Ice Dice, that includes a number of former NBA gamers.
She spoke to the media forward of her staff’s Candy 16 Saturday matchup with Colorado in Albany, New York.
“To be sincere, I came upon concerning the Big3 factor on the precise time you all did, and my primary focus is on simply enjoying basketball,” Clark mentioned of the multimillion-dollar supply. “I truthfully don’t speak about these issues with actually anyone. I’ve different those that take care of it, they usually haven’t mentioned a phrase to me about it. My primary focus is on this staff and serving to us discover a solution to beat Colorado and hopefully win one other one after that.”
The Big3’s supply, price a reported $5 million for a single season, would nonetheless enable the NCAA Division I all-time main scorer to play within the WNBA, the place she’s projected to be the primary decide in April’s draft.
“We meant the supply to stay personal whereas Caitlin Clark performs for the championship,” Ice Dice mentioned in a press release offered to CNN on Wednesday. “However I gained’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 super success within the BIG3. … With our supply, Caitlin Clark could make historical past and break down much more boundaries for girls athletes.”
The Big3 just isn’t Clark’s solely basketball supply past her school profession.
The 22-year-old Iowa native was additionally invited to participate in USA Basketball’s Olympic coaching camp subsequent week in Cleveland. However Clark and her coach Lisa Bluder are hopeful the reigning nationwide participant of the yr may have different enterprise at hand in Cleveland, which can be internet hosting the ladies’s Closing 4.
“She did inform me concerning the invitation that she was getting for USA Basketball, however she hopes that she’s not there,” Bluder mentioned. “All of us hope she’s not there subsequent weekend.”
Clark appeared humbled by the prospect of enjoying for Crew USA, however she confused her high precedence proper now could be on profitable a nationwide championship with Iowa.
“USA Basketball is my – that’s your dream. You all the time need to develop up and be on the Olympic staff, however fortunate for me, I’ve the chance of presumably not doing that as a result of I need to be on the Closing 4 enjoying basketball with my staff,” Clark mentioned. “But when not, that’s the place I’ll be.
“Individuals which can be on that roster are those that I idolize and have idolized rising up. Simply to be prolonged a camp invite is one thing you must be happy with and rejoice and revel in. However greater than something, my focus is on profitable these two video games, and that’s precisely the way it ought to be.”
The highest-seeded Hawkeyes will face the Colorado Buffaloes at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday for an opportunity to advance to the Elite Eight.