Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team star Caitlin Clark has stolen the limelight in the basketball world with an estimated NIL value of $3.1 million.
Her talent has attracted attention not only from sports figures but also from celebrities such as rapper Ice Cube, who proposed a $5 million contract for her to play in his Big 3 league, a legitimate 3×3 basketball tournament held during the men’s offseason.
Ice Cube’s offer is not the only one on the table for Clark. Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy humorously suggested a $10 million offer for her to play recreational basketball, highlighting the widespread desire to have Clark on various teams.
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“I’ll offer Caitlin Clark 10 million to play on our intramural hoops team” Portnoy wrote on X.
A historic offer
Ice Cube’s proposal, however, presents a unique opportunity for Clark to play professional basketball in both the WNBA and the Big 3, potentially paving the way for other women to join the league.
Accepting Ice Cube’s offer could make Clark the first women’s basketball player to earn $5 million annually, a significant milestone in the sport’s history.
“And [female basketball players] should have more than just one professional option in the US at a time when American pro sports leagues are being infiltrated by autocratic, anti-women regimes such as Qatar,” Ice Cube noted.
While the highest-paid WNBA athlete currently earns $252,450 per year, the prospect of earning a substantial sum in just 10 games underscores the disparity in earnings between male and female athletes.
