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Caitlin Clark's $15 Million Basketball League Refusal Report Raises Eyebrows

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark apparently turned down a staggering amount of money for another basketball league.
Grant Young|
Aug 1, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) during the game between the Dallas Wings and the Indiana Fever at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Aug 1, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) during the game between the Dallas Wings and the Indiana Fever at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

As soon as the 2025 WNBA season ended, one of the bigger questions regarding the sport of women's basketball was whether Indiana Fever star guard Caitlin Clark (who was fresh off a rookie campaign that included her winning the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year award and finishing in fourth place in MVP voting) was going to play in Unrivaled.

Unrivaled is a 3x3 league founded by WNBA superstars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, which took place in Miami, Florida, across the first three months of 2025. Most of the world's best female basketball players took part in the league, which was a massive success in its first season.

Clark ended up not participating in Unrivaled, which seemingly came after a lot of deliberation on her part. While the hype around this new league suffered as a result, there's a lot of hope that No. 22 will take part in Unrivaled for the league's second season, which is coming in 2026.

Players warm-up before the game between the Mist and the Lunar Owls on January 17, 2025
Jan 17, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Players warm-up before the game between the Mist and the Lunar Owls of the Unrivaled women’s professional 3v3 basketball league at Wayfair Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

There were reports that Clark turned down seven figures to play in Unrivaled, which only lasted about 10 weeks.

However, she apparently turned down eight figures from another 3x3 basketball league.

Caitlin Clark Turned Down $15 Million From BIG3 League, Says League "Voice"

Rapper turned acting icon Ice Cube founded the BIG3 basketball league. The league consists of 12 teams, started in 2017, takes place in the NBA offseason (and during the WNBA season), and is a 3x3 league.

There were reports last year that Ice Cube offered Caitlin Clark $5 million to compete in the league. In fact, the BIG3 website even says that Clark was given this offer of $5 million to compete in just eight games for the league back in April 2024, right around the time she was drafted by the Fever.

Tattoo, who is called, "The Voice" of BIG3, did an August 26 interview on the TFU podcast. And at one point in the discussion, he set the record straight about how much money Clark actually turned down.

"We offered Caitlin Clark $15 million... It started at $5 [million]. But the official final offer was $15 million for 10 weeks!" Tattoo said. "She must be making some good dough... And I'm sure many offers came to her, especially, I think we helped her with [getting] some more money."

Because the BIG3 league takes place at the same time as the WNBA, it would have meant a conflict of interest for Clark in her rookie season. Therefore, her refusing this offer makes sense, despite it having made many more cents if she'd decided to join Ice Cube's league.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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