Even before Caitlin Clark shook up the WNBA she had received an enticing opportunity from rapper Ice Cube about joining his Big 3 league. A $5 million offer was made to the Fever rookie as she was preparing for the NCAA tournament Sweet 16. Eventually, this amount would dwarf her WNBA salary, but Clark had to decline the offer.

The offer was groundbreaking, especially considering that WNBA lottery draft picks earn a base salary of $76,535, which only climbs to $97,582 by their fourth season. The $5 million opportunity seemed like a no-brainer. But surprisingly, Clark turned it down. According to Ice Cube, her agents played a big role in the deal not materializing and it has something to do with the NBA.

Ice Cube talked about the impact Clark had on the WNBA in terms of driving attendance and viewership and that the offer they made was a “great business decision.” 

Talking on the Baller Alert, Inc. on Tuesday, the rapper said, “Sponsors was saying if you get her it’s going to unlock millions of dollars in sponsorships for the league.” When asked whether Clark was interested in the deal, Ice Cube replied, “I believe she did (entertained the offer), but I think her agents were hating on it.” But what was the possible reasoning behind it?

“Because her agents that she has are also NBA, they got a lot of NBA guys that they make millions off and the women they don’t make that much money off of. So their agents was probably like ‘Are we going to make the NBA mad? Let her play in the Big 3 for a little commission and possibly alienate these million-dollar deals we got going and all these commissions we get with the guys?'” I think they was like man we don’t care if she making more money she going to go back to the WNBA we’re gonna keep everybody happy we’re gonna keep making our money from the boys and we going to you know work to make sure that the women get a little more money,” Ice Cube explained.

He further added, “They kind of made a business decision and didn’t let us speak with her or her family. That’s what we really wanted to do. Sit across the table and give our case on why you know this was a huge move for her and women in sports. It didn’t work out but that’s cool you know it was a real shot.”

The Big 3 has seen players like Gary Payton, Rick Barry, Nancy Lieberman, and Lisa Leslie endorse the league before. It has also now expanded with the announcement of the first purchase of a team in Los Angeles. The rapper has big visions further, reaching over the States to include London and Toronto. Clark would have brought just the eyes needed for Ice Cube’s vision and received well in return for herself.

But how much truth does Ice Cube’s comments hold? Well, if we go back to what Clark had to say about the offer in March, we may get an indication.

When it was first reported via a tweet that the Big 3 has made a $5 million offer to Clark, it raised eyebrows and drew widespread attention. Clark was already garnering popularity with her NCAA exploits and March Madness and had to eventually address the question of whether she would take up the offer. However, Clark confessed to nothing about the deal behind the scenes.

According to TMZ, she said that she learned about the offer at “the same exact time you all did,” before adding, “I honestly don’t talk about those things with really anybody. I have other people that deal with it. They haven’t said a word to me about it.” 

Ultimately, Clark committed to playing in the WNBA and the offer was not brought up again. Apart from this, at the moment Clark seems to have an aversion to playing in a 3-on-3 league having reportedly turned down the offer to play in the Unrivaled Basketball league despite receiving a $1 million offer.

Still, as Ice Cube mentioned it was worth a shot and it is easy to see why. In fact, he also explained why they offered Clark $5 million and didn’t go for her on-court rival, Angel Reese, who is also quite the name in women’s basketball.

Ice Cube explains Caitlin Clark decision over Angel Reese

During an appearance on Morning Hustle, last Wednesday, Ice Cube addressed fans who questioned why Reese didn’t receive an offer. He explained that while he enjoys watching Reese play, the financial potential wasn’t the same. “Well, like I said, it was a business decision. You know, I’d rather watch Angel play, but you know it wasn’t unlocking those dollars to bring her into the league like it would have with Caitlin, and that’s just how the sponsors were rolling. That’s just the reality of the business.”

Indeed, Clark’s hype is grounded in her record-breaking numbers. Her 2023 NCAA Championship run drew nearly 25 million viewers, while her rookie season with the Indiana Fever boosted televised game averages to 1.18 million viewers. Then out of the 23 games that surpassed one million viewers in the 2024 season, Clark played in 20 of them. Her Rookie of the Year campaign solidified her status as a ratings magnet.

Her influence extends beyond the court, making her a hot topic on sports shows and social media alike. It’s no wonder sponsors were eager to leverage her popularity for the Big 3. As for Reese, the opportunities are just beginning to come and there will be more such offers on the table in the near future.