Caitlin Clark has unlocked a whole other level of publicity for the WNBA, as Clark and her draft class have brought a huge amount of eyeballs to the women’s side of the sport. The financial impact of the same can be felt already. Ice Cube and his BIG 3 league also wanted a piece of the Clark-Fever phenomenon, even offering the Iowa native a $5 million contract to play a dozen games in his 3-on-3 league.
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During a recent sit-down with Shaquille O’Neal and film producer, Adam Lefkoe, on the show “Big Podcast with Shaq,” the former N.W.A. member spilled the beans on how and why ‘BIG3’ offered Clark such a lucrative deal.
In fact, the $5 million contract would instantly make the Fever Rookie the highest-paid female basketball player of all time. The entire situation kicked off when Lefkoe and O’Neal applauded Ice Cube and the BIG 3 marketing team for their clever strategy of using Clark’s name to bring publicity to their league.
However, the West Coast legend quickly clarified that the offer to the Fever rookie was “sincere” and wasn’t solely meant to be a marketing ploy. Talking about it further, he said,
“It was definitely sincere. I was just about to say that it was more than a marketing move. It was a big swing. We knew adding her to our league would peak interest. It would definitely unlock millions in sponsor dollars. Everyone would have benefited off of her joining the league.”
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The offer was seemingly made to Clark a few months ago, during the March Madness Tournament. In a hilarious turn of events, Clark was even asked about the $5 million offer, during a press conference, before the team’s Sweet-16 matchup against Colorado. Answering the question, the former Hawkeye legend said,
“I honestly don’t talk about those things with really anybody. I have other people that deal with it. They haven’t said a word to me about it. And my main focus is on this team and helping us find a way to beat Colorado and hopefully win another one after that.”
In the end, Clark ended up going to the WNBA as 2024’s No. 1 draft selection and has since lived up to her hype. Even though the Fever continues to struggle, boasting a record of 3-10, Clark seems to have found a whole new rhythm, especially after her recent snubbing from the USA Olympic squad.
