Caitlin Clark To Join BIG3? Ice Cube Offers Iowa Star $5 Million To Join League
Ice Cube confirmed the reports about Iowa Hawkeyes' Caitlin Clark possibly joining the traveling professional 3-on-3 basketball league if she accepts the multimillion offer.
On Wednesday, the BIG3 co-founder quoted and responded to TMZ's tweet about Clark getting a $5 million offer from him.
"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. Why wouldn't we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3," Ice Cube wrote on X.
"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," the 54-year-old Hip-hop mogul added in a follow-up tweet.
"America's women athletes should not be forced to spend their off-seasons playing in often dismal and dubious foreign countries just to make ends meet," he stated in another post.
Ice Cube also appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show" to talk about BIG3's offer to the Iowa star. Pat McAfee asked him if he thought Clark's team would accept the offer.
"You know, it's always 50-50 so we [could] get a no at the end of the day. It's a generous offer... When we came out with the idea, our sponsors and our partners all [wanted] to make it happen so we were able to make that generous offer," he responded.
In the interview, he clarified that he doesn't want BIG3's offer to be a distraction to the 22-year-old college basketball player as she pursues a championship with Iowa in the NCAA tournament run.
"We don't want to be more of a distraction than we already are. This leaked out. We want to make sure that we confirm the truth here... They have it and if they want to sign it, we'll be happy to have her play in the BIG3," Ice Cube said.
Regarding any potential scheduling conflicts between the WNBA and BIG3 in case Clark ends up accepting the offer, Ice Cube clarified that they are more than willing to move things around for her so she does not have to miss any games.
ESPN reached out to the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) about this issue, but the association only left a brief comment.
"Caitlin Clark stands to make a half million dollars or more in WNBA earnings this coming season, in addition to what she will receive through endorsements and other partnerships, which has been reported to already exceed $3 million," said a WNBA spokesperson.
While Ice Cube thinks Caitlin can succeed in the BIG3, Kenyon Martin, an ex-NBA star, has claimed otherwise, per TMZ. He said the female basketball player would not be able to score a single point in the BIG3 league.
As of press time, Ice Cube has yet to hear a "yes" or a "no" from Clark.
