Caitlin Clark was the talk of the town Tuesday as she made her official WNBA debut. However, the parents of the Indiana Fever rookie took some of that spotlight as they watched their daughter in the game.
Midway through the third quarter with the Fever trailing the Connecticut Sun 55-47, Clark committed a traveling violation. When the cameras panned to her parents who were watching from the sidelines, a look of disappointment can be seen.
Making things worse, it’s actually the eighth turnover of the game for Clark, which probably added more to her parents’ frustration.
It certainly wasn’t the best of nights for Caitlin Clark, as she went scoreless in the first quarter of the game. While she was able to recover from it, the Sun defense really made life hard for her.
In the end, the Fever lost to the Sun, 92-71. Clark even claimed an unwanted history with 10 turnovers–the most by a player in their debut in WNBA history.
May 14, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) falls to the floor after a blocked shot by guard Rachel Banham (1) (not pictured) in the second quarter at Mohegan Sun Arena.
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
The reaction of Clark’s parents probably sums up the day for the Fever fan base. But the good news is it’s only the first game of the season and Clark still has plenty of room to learn and grow.
Caitlin Clark and Ice Cube (Photos via Getty Images)
Ice Cube took a big swing to get Caitlin Clark into his 3-on-3 basketball league when she was still playing for the Iowa Hawkeyes, but nothing ever materialized.
It has now been a month of Caitlin Clark playing in the WNBA, and she is not nearly making as much money with her salary as she is off the court. Many thought she would jump at the chance to take a two-year deal worth $10 million from Ice Cube to play in his league.
The legendary rapper and actor previously claimed that Clark’s agents were to blame, noting that they seemed to be “hating a bit.”
While appearing on The OG’s Podcast with Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller, Ice Cube expanded on his comments to reveal that neither he nor his team was ever allowed to speak to Caitlin Clark or her family.
Cube added that Clark’s agents wanted nothing to do with the Big3 because they wanted to keep their reputation within the pro scene.
“We believe her agents blocked it a little bit, we never got a chance to actually have a conversation with her and her family. The agents really didn’t want to see that happen in our opinion. They make their money off of NBA players, not WNBA players,” Cube claimed.
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Cube then explained what they offered Clark and how her playing against men could’ve opened up more minds of the people who likely do not like her.
“We offered her $5 million to play for two years, so she would’ve walked away with $10 (million), a little equity here and there, but we knew it was a big step,” Ice Cube explained.
“Trying to play with the men at the professional level would’ve definitely opened up the minds of a lot of people, whether she was successful or not, who knows, but we think she could’ve been because we had small guards in our league.”
Ice Cube Initially Reached Out To Caitlin Clark During NCAA Tournament
Back in March 2024, then-Iowa women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark was all over the news with her play when she got offered $5 million to play in the Big3 league.
“We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship,” Ice Cube wrote on X per ESPN. “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.
“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.”
At the time, Clark was getting set to play in the NCAA tournament Sweet 16.
Cube added that Lieberman would’ve been Clark’s perfect coach and mentor if she had accepted the offer, and her presence would put the Big3 into “a different stratosphere.”
He further added that Clark is “a special player that’s moving the needles in a lot of different areas—ratings, attendance, ticket sales. So, of course, our sponsors are very interested in a player like this.”
Unfortunately, it appears we never know what Clark can do in the Big3 league.
