"Unrivaled," the new 3-on-3 basketball league spearheaded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, is planning a "full-court press" to recruit 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark, according to a report from Front Office Sports.
The new venture, which was designed to give players an alternative to going overseas during the WNBA offseason, will begin its debut season in January. There will be 30 initial players in the league, all of whom will receive an equity stake. So far, only 26 players have been announced.
"I think we might have a couple more rookies in there, that might be a hint," Collier said about the remaining four spots during an interview with "Run It Back" on Thursday. When asked directly if Unrivaled had "offered Caitlin a bag" to join the league, Collier did not give a direct response, but heaped praise on the star rookie.
"It's just so crazy because the growth that Caitlin has brought to the game, the sheer amount of money that she's making these teams, people are having to move their venues for when she comes to play," Collier said. "And she's getting paid like $75,000 a year... She should be one of the [top-paid] players in the world just for the sheer numbers she's bringing."
Clark has previously indicated that she will not play any basketball this offseason after going for nearly an entire calendar year without an extended break between her senior season at Iowa and her rookie season with the Indiana Fever.
"We talked to Caitlin Clark earlier today," ESPN's Ryan Ruocco said during the Fever's final playoff game. "She said she almost definitely will not play basketball this offseason. So it is likely we will not see her play again until April."
When asked herself following the Fever's elimination in the first round of the playoffs, Clark said she had no concrete plans, and joked about turning pro in golf.
"I was focused on beating the Connecticut Sun, I haven't thought too far down the line," Clark said. "I don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow, I don't know what I'm going to do the next day. Maybe play some golf. That's what I'm going to do until it becomes too cold in Indiana. I'll become a professional golfer."
At this point, all indications are that Clark will not play anywhere this winter, but it's not surprising that Unrivaled is going to do everything it can to get her to change her mind.
The league recently announced a media rights partnership with TNT Sports that will see more than 45 primetime regular-season games broadcast on TNT and truTV, with all games streamed on Max. Clark is the biggest single driver of TV ratings that women's basketball has ever seen. CBS, ABC, ESPN, ESPN 2, ION and NBA TV all set records for the most-watched WNBA game on their respective platforms this season, and all of those games involved Clark.
If Unrivaled can convince Clark to sign, she would bring a massive audience to the league. The biggest obstacle is that Unrivaled needs Clark more than she needs it. With her endorsement opportunities, including a reported $28 million deal from Nike, money won't be as enticing to her as it may be to other players.
What Unrivaled can offer, and what may ultimately be tempting for the ultra-competitive Clark, is the opportunity to compete against the best players in the world in a contained environment. The Miami-based league will only last eight weeks, the games will be played on a compressed full court and there will be no travel. Even if she plays, she could still take significant time off both before and after.
No specific timeline has been announced for the reveal of the final four players, but it will need to happen sooner rather than later considering the league is to begin play in just over two months.
