Legendary rapper, actor, and entrepreneur Ice Cube is trying to lure NCAA Division I All-Time leading scorer Caitlin Clark to his Big3 professional basketball league.
Clark, the Iowa Hawkeyes superstar, has reportedly been offered a $5 million deal to make up to 10 appearances in the Big3 competition. The half-court 3-on-3 game features a slew of former NBA players and high-profile coaches.
TMZ.com first reported Ice Cube’s approach to Clark and the monetary figure before the entertainment icon took to X, formerly Twitter, to outline his reasons for courting Clark to the Big3.
“We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship,” Ice Cube said on his official page. “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 sees an excellent opportunity to add one of American sports’ leading drawcards – male or female – to his playing roster. Earlier this season Clark broke Pete Maravich’s 54-year-old NCAA Division I Scoring record of 3,667 points, and keeps adding to her tally.
“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,” wrote Ice Cube.
Clark is a one-woman box office, and the Hawkeyes are breaking records for attendance and NCAA tournament viewership as they aim to reach the Final Four in Clark’s last campaign as a Hawkeye before she heads to the WNBA.
As the presumptive first pick in the WNBA draft on April 15, Clark’s starting salary would be around $76,000 USD. The huge Big3 offer is for up to 10 games: eight regular-season games and two playoff games, should the team Clark plays for qualify for the finals.
The WNBA regular season begins in May, and the playoffs start in late September. The Big3 season runs from mid-June until mid-August. If Clark chooses to sign with the Big3, she would be given clearance to play in the WNBA.