Ice Cube’s BIG3 Offers Caitlin Clark A Huge $5M Deal: What To Know
Caitlin Clark is, rightfully, one of the most popular athletes in the country right now. This has caught the attention of hip-hop legend, Ice Cube, who has designed a Caitlin Clark BIG3 scenario where the star joins his basketball league. According to CNN, the deal is allegedly for a historic $5 million contract.
Now, there is certainly a lot swirling around the Caitlin Clark phenomenon right now. In addition to this Big3 news, Clark is in her last season with the Iowa Hawkeyes and has led her team to the next round of the NCAA women’s tournament. She is also expected to be the first pick in the upcoming WNBA draft, which would have her go to the Indiana Fever.
Without a doubt, Clark would tell you her only focus right now is on her next game with Iowa. The most epic ending to the record-breaking Clark era in college basketball would be for her to win the national championship. However, given the uniqueness of the BIG3 Ice Cube interest, let’s examine what this actually means.
What Is The BIG3?
For those who are unfamiliar, this basketball league was started in 2017 by co-founders, Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. It’s a 3-on-3 league that puts entertainment at the forefront of basketball. For example, there’s a 4-point shot and the game point rules do not allow for overtime.
Currently, there are 12 teams in the league. Their format allows for players out of the NBA to continue to play (while making a living). To date, this has been a men’s league.
Ice Cube’s Pitch To Caitlin Clark Joining 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 offer to Caitlin Clark,” Ice Cube posted to X yesterday. This was a repost in response to a TMZ report.
It’s important to note, the BIG3 does have women involved in their game. Nancy Lieberman was their first female head coach. WNBA legend, and two-time champion, Lisa Leslie is also the coach of the BIG3 team, the Triplets. Leslie led her team to a championship in the BIG 3 as well.
Clark would be the first female athlete to play in the BIG3 however. “With our offer, Caitlin Clark can make history and break down even more barriers for women,” Ice Cube continued.
Will This Happen?
Never say never, but the better question right now is: could this technically happen?
“The WNBA regular season begins in May, and the playoffs start in late September. The Big3 season runs from mid-June until mid-August,” CNN explains. So, the short answer is that the seasons overlap. Ice Cube, of course, understands this, and did note his league would allow for Clark to still play in the WNBA as the $5 million offer would be aimed at 10 total BIG3 games.
So, why do this now? The BIG3 did struggle with financial challenges in the past where the league contested investors for honoring their investments. In addition, the BIG3 has not been successful in gaining partnership with the NBA.
Lastly, both the BIG3 and WNBA are televised on CBS. In addition, “ABC-ESPN generates about two-thirds of the WNBA’s annual rights revenue on a deal that will, like the NBA’s, expire after the 2024–’25 season,” Front Office Sports explained.
Why is that important? Caitlin Clark is expected to be a big driving force behind a new deal, so her invested interest in the future of the WNBA would presumably be very strong. Will she ask for a revenue share? Will the networks design a new deal based around expected viewership increase with Clark in the league?
Front Office Sports said, “the WNBA’s media rights are rising in value as Iowa’s Caitlin Clark prepares to join the league—and women’s sports reach new levels of popularity.”
As entertaining as it would be, these factors would lead you to believe it would be a longshot for Clark to consider playing in the BIG3 at this time. But is has put the league back in the headlines, at least for now.
