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The BIG3 made a massive offer to Iowa women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark for her to join the league as she plays in the WNBA later this year, the organization’s co-founder Ice Cube said Wednesday.
The league, which has featured NBA and WNBA legends in a 3-on-3 format, offered Clark a $5 million deal to play eight regular-season games and possibly two playoff games, TMZ Sports first reported. She would reportedly receive extra money for merchandise sales and sponsorships, as well as still be allowed to play in the WNBA.
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Coach Ice Cube of Team Webull celebrates during the Monster Energy BIG3 Celebrity Game at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 19, 2023. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Idol Roc Entertainment)
Ice Cube confirmed the offer in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“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,” the legendary hip-hop artist and business mogul said.
“Why wouldn’t we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3. 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.”
Caitlin Clark of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates after drawing a foul late in the second half against the West Virginia Mountaineers during their second round match-up in the 2024 NCAA Division 1 Women’s Basketball Championship at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa, on Monday. (Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
Ice Cube went on to say that American female basketball players should not have to go overseas to earn money playing the sport they love.
“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 added. “And they should have more than just one professional option in the U.S. at a time when American pro sports leagues are being infiltrated by autocratic, anti-women regimes such as Qatar.
“Our pathbreaking offer to Caitlin Clark demonstrates that BIG3 now offers another choice for athletes.”
Ice Cube’s transformative league launched in 2017 using some rules derived from FIBA’s 3-on-3 format.
Should Clark accept the deal, she would likely be the only active female player in the BIG3.
Iowa guard Caitlin Clark speaks at a press conference after the game against West Virginia Mountaineers in the second round of the NCAA Division I Women’s Championship at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa, on Monday. (Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Clark announced her intention to declare for the WNBA Draft. She will likely be the top pick after setting all-time scoring records in college basketball this season.
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
