Caitlin Clark receives blockbuster $5 million offer from Ice Cube’s Big3 league

I gotta say it was a good day.

Throughout her entire athletics career, Caitlin Clark has shattered the mold for women’s sports. Whether it be for record-breaking play or record-breaking viewership, she has set the benchmark for collegiate women athletes.

Now, it appears as though she has an opportunity previously unthinkable for women in professional sports, to play with the men as an equal.

TMZ broke the news on Wednesday that Clark received a $5 million offer from Ice Cube’s Big3 league. This is no rumor either. The legendary hiphop artist confirmed the report with his post on X.

“We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship. 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 wrote on X.

The rapper and movie star referenced the success that women such as Nancy Lieberman and Lisa Leslie have had in the Big3 league as coaches, expressing hopes for Clark to further break down barriers for women in professional basketball.

“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.

“America’s women athletes should not be forced to spend their offseasons playing in often dismal and dubious foreign countries just to make ends meet. And they should have more than just one professional option in the US at a time where American pro sports leagues are being infiltrated by autocratic, anti-women regimes such as Qatar. Our pathbreaking offer to Caitlin Clark demonstrates that BIG3 now offers another choice for athletes,” Ice Cube wrote.

In the original TMZ story, it is clear that the Big3 is not trying to poach Clark away from the WNBA. Rather, they seek to provide a better accompaniment to the WNBA than playing in European leagues, a path taken by most WNBA players during the offseason to make more money.

The way Ice Cube and the Big3 see it, this is a win-win-win for all three sides.

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.

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Was Geno Auriemma taking a shot at Caitlin Clark by calling Paige Bueckers ‘the best player in America’?

Hmm.

Now, look: Caitlin Clark is amazing. Paige Bueckers is also amazing. We could leave it at that.

But legendary UConn coach Geno Auriemma might be playing some mind games, especially now that women’s March Madness is in full swing.

Bueckers led the Huskies to a win over Syracuse in the second round on Monday wit a 32-10-6 game. Afterwards, Auriemma declared she was “the best player in America,” basing it on the analytics and such.

Now: was that a shot at Clark? Especially if they meet later in the tourney? Or was it a way to pump up Bueckers?

I’d say the latter, probably. But you make the call:

Why Caitlin Clark likely won’t accept Ice Cube’s $5 million offer to play in the BIG3

We respect the hustle, but have some shame, Ice Cube. It’s okay to have shame.

Another day, another company vying for the chance to get in on the phenomenon that is Caitlin Clark. This time, it’s Ice Cube and the BIG3, offering to drop five million reasons why she should come play in their league.

We’ve been saying it, but Caitlin Clark has no shortage of money or offers to give her more moolah in exchange for her talents. Even with going to the WNBA, she’s picking up deals along the way. Now, she’ll have another one to consider. Ice Cube and his BIG3 basketball league want Caitlin to play for them.

According to TMZ, Cube is offering $5 million to Caitlin if she plays eight regular-season games and potentially two playoff games.

After details of the offer leaked, Ice Cube took to X (formerly Twitter) to plead his case and explain why the offer was made.

There’s just one problem: The Big3’s season — which starts in June — runs smack dab in the middle of the WNBA’s season. That means while the offer is substantial, but it’s likely more a gesture to show that the league understands Clark’s value.

Also, the current WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) prioritization clause, which requires players to prioritize the WNBA over other leagues, would complicate Clark’s involvement. This is part of the reason why several players go overseas or play in other leagues during the offseason.

Pair the schedule and CBA restrictions with the major injury risk Caitlin Clark would assume by getting involved with the BIG3, and it’s very easy to see why this is not entirely feasible right now. Things could change in the future, but for the moment, the offer merely brings a lot of positive publicity to the BIG3.

Caitlin Clark randomly got roasted by Hawks announcer who ripped Jayson Tatum for complaining

Bob Rathbun seems to think Caitlin Clark complains to referees to much, as does Jayson Tatum.

Caitlin Clark was just out here, minding her own business, making plays and winning March Madness games, when she got hit with the most random of roasts.

Bob Rathbun was calling Monday’s Atlanta Hawks comeback against the Boston Celtics, when he saw superstar Jayson Tatum protesting to a referee.

“Boy, Jayson Tatum does a lot of complaining,” Rathbun remarked. “Who does he think he is, Caitlin Clark?”

I don’t know if he meant in jest or really does think Clark complains to referees too much. What Rathbun said next maybe confirmed the latter: he talked about how Clark complained to officials so much in Iowa’s first-round win that her father yelled at her to stop complaining.

Shaq revealed why calling Caitlin Clark the GOAT of women’s basketball was a no-brainer

“Name a woman who’s doing what Caitlin Clark is doing. I don’t know one.”

Shaquille O’Neal is unapologetic about his thoughts on Caitlin Clark.

He recently called her the greatest women’s college hoops player ever, which has caused a lot of debate in basketball circles. The more we thought about it, the more we had one question for him: WHY?

Shaq is not one to beat around the bush. He tells it like it is and stands on his words. So, it wasn’t a shock to hear him chat with the NBA on TNT crew in February about Caitlin Clark and definitively dub her the greatest women’s college basketball player of all time. He immediately received pushback from his colleagues asking him if he’d heard of Cheryl Miller, Maya Moore, Diana Taurasi or Candace Parker. But he didn’t flinch.

While promoting his “How to March Madness” campaign and “Tips from the Tool Shaq” content series with Home Depot, O’Neal recently revealed to For The Win his criteria for calling Clark the greatest women’s hoops player ever to do it.

Here’s what Shaq shared with us about his Caitlin:

You always have to look at the stats. If a person has 20 [points], they are great. She has 30. Wouldn’t it automatically make her great? I say yeah. The way she plays, shoots and puts her team on the map — nobody has done what she’s done. The reason why Steph Curry is my favorite player is not because he’s bigger and stronger and gotten more done. It’s because nobody has ever done what he’s done.”

“Name a guy who’s ever done what he’s done. Name a woman who’s doing what Caitlin Clark is doing. I don’t know one. I know one that’s close — JuJu Watkins. I’ve never seen anybody play like Miss Caitlin Clark. That’s why I say she’s the best college player ever. It’s all subjective, but it’s just my opinion. Nobody is doing that step-back Steph Curry shot like Caitlin Clark, and she does it every game. [On March 10], she had four points [in the first half] and then came back with 30. That’s greatness right there.”

West Virginia’s Mark Kellogg had his Caitlin Clark trash talk completely backfire

This backfired.

We told you back on Selection Sunday that West Virginia women’s hoops head coach Mark Kellogg might regret what he said.

Specifically, he told the Mountaineers this: “Let’s win one and send Caitlin Clark packing.”

Sure, it was a motivational move, and frankly … it almost paid off! Iowa barely survived the second round game at home, ultimately winning the March Madness contest 64-54.

As you can see below, Kellogg walked it back a bit, talking about how it wasn’t trash talk: “There was some surprise in the room … with our seed is where it started.”

So it was just a motivational tactic. But no one forgot the initial trash talk:

 

Was Geno Auriemma taking a shot at Caitlin Clark by calling Paige Bueckers ‘the best player in America’?

Hmm.

Now, look: Caitlin Clark is amazing. Paige Bueckers is also amazing. We could leave it at that.

But legendary UConn coach Geno Auriemma might be playing some mind games, especially now that women’s March Madness is in full swing.

Bueckers led the Huskies to a win over Syracuse in the second round on Monday wit a 32-10-6 game. Afterwards, Auriemma declared she was “the best player in America,” basing it on the analytics and such.

Now: was that a shot at Clark? Especially if they meet later in the tourney? Or was it a way to pump up Bueckers?

I’d say the latter, probably. But you make the call:

Caitlin Clark randomly got roasted by Hawks announcer who ripped Jayson Tatum for complaining

Bob Rathbun seems to think Caitlin Clark complains to referees to much, as does Jayson Tatum.

Caitlin Clark was just out here, minding her own business, making plays and winning March Madness games, when she got hit with the most random of roasts.

Bob Rathbun was calling Monday’s Atlanta Hawks comeback against the Boston Celtics, when he saw superstar Jayson Tatum protesting to a referee.

“Boy, Jayson Tatum does a lot of complaining,” Rathbun remarked. “Who does he think he is, Caitlin Clark?”

I don’t know if he meant in jest or really does think Clark complains to referees too much. What Rathbun said next maybe confirmed the latter: he talked about how Clark complained to officials so much in Iowa’s first-round win that her father yelled at her to stop complaining.

Caitlin Clark gave the most classy farewell to Iowa fans in last home game with proud parents in stands

Caitlin Clark will always be one of the greats for Iowa basketball.

Iowa women’s basketball legend Caitlin Clark bid farewell to the home crowd on Monday night after she played her last game in Iowa City.

Indeed, Clark made even more women’s NCAA history and led her Hawkeyes to a second-round tournament victory over West Virginia in her home finale before heading on the road for the Sweet 16.

As Clark saluted the Iowa fans in attendance at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, you could see her family in the stands cheering her on as she continued to add to her indisputed legacy in the sport.

It was a very cool moment for Clark, her family, Iowa fans and all basketball fans who have watched one of the greats in her grand finale run for the collegiate level before joining the WNBA.

If you were an Iowa fan, this was a heck of a moment for your school and for one of its all-time great athletes.

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How to buy Iowa vs. Colorado NCAA Women’s Tournament Sweet 16 tickets

Want to watch Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes take on the Colorado Buffaloes in the Sweet 16? Tickets still remain for as little as $223.

Take a breath, Hawkeyes and Buffaloes fans, your teams are moving onto the Sweet 16!

No. 1 Iowa survived No. 8 West Virginia 64-54 behind another casual 32 point effort from Caitlin Clark. Clark broke the single-season D-1 NCAA women’s scoring record with a late free throw that helped ice the game and punch Iowa’s ticket to Albany.

No. 5 Colorado upset No. 4 Kansas State 63-50 on Sunday, using a balanced effort from all five starters to pull off the big win.

Both teams advance to the Sweet 16 in one of the two Albany Regionals, and will play their Sweet 16 game on Saturday, March 30.

Tickets are still available to the Iowa vs. Colorado Sweet 16 matchup for as little as $223.

Tickets include access to both Sweet 16 games on Saturday, the other game will feature the No. 2 UCLA vs. No. 3 LSU.

Weekend passes are also still available, and include all four Sweet 16 games and the two subsequent Elite 8 game in Albany.

At the time of publication Albany Regional weekend passes are still available for as little as $731.

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