Unrivaled is pushing hard for Indiana Fever superstar guard Caitlin Clark to join its growing roster of players.
The women’s 3-on-3 basketball league has courted some of the biggest stars in the WNBA, but Clark has yet to commit to one of the league’s roster spots.
That could soon change according to a new report from Sports Business Journal.
SBJ‘s Tom Friend reported on Thursday that Clark and Unrivaled have had discussions on a possible deal with significant upside for the WNBA standout.
“Caitlin Clark and Unrivaled have had ‘high level conversations’ about her joining the emerging 3-on-3 basketball league, sources said today, with the offer believed to include significant equity in the business and a three-month salary of over $1M,” Friend reported.
“On a day that the league expanded its rosters from 30 to 36 players, those sources said Unrivaled has told Clark she can ‘take as long as she wants’ to decide, mindful of the grind Clark has endured over the past year as a collegiate player and rookie in the WNBA. But Unrivaled has also strategically signed two of Clark’s closest friends — Fever teammate Lexie Hull and former Iowa teammate Kate Martin — to recent contracts, and, according to sources, speculation is Clark is leaning ’60/40′ to saying ‘yes.'”
The Unrivaled league also added Clark’s Fever teammate Aliyah Boston on Thursday, which could entice Clark even more to join.
While Friend’s report alludes that nothing is set in stone, it sounds like it’s definitely possible Clark could take Unrivaled up on its offer.
“Comes down to mental health, stress or playing ball – which she loves,” a source told Friend. “She has not decided yet… there will be a spot for her if she wants it, but she will be paid for what she brings to the league, as much as a new league can afford… I think a few weeks we will know.”
Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell also told Sportico’s Eric Jackson this week there will always be a place for Clark in the league if she wants to play.
“We’re always going to have a roster spot for Caitlin Clark,” Bazzell said, via Sportico. “We’re not applying a full-court press the way people think… She knows that we have a spot for her when she’s ready.”
While it seemed for a while like Clark joining Unrivaled was a long shot, this gives new hope for the league that it could welcome her into the fold.
