Report: Caitlin Clark Won’t Play in Inaugural Season of 3-on-3 Unrivaled League
The Fever star reportedly won’t be back on the court when Unrivaled tips off in January.
Unrivaled, a professional women’s 3-on-3 basketball league is set to debut in January. Despite co-founders Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier getting plenty of the top talent in the WNBA to agree to play in the upstart league, one of the most sought-after superstars has ultimately turned them down.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, arguably the face of women’s basketball, has rejected the chance to join Unrivaled, according to ESPN.
According to Ben Pickman of The Athletic, the Unrivaled league still has an open invite out for Clark should she decide she wants to participate in the inaugural season.
Thirty-four of the 36 spots in the Unrivaled league were announced on Wednesday, leaving two “wild card” roster slots left. Clark, despite much speculation, won’t be filling one of those two remaining spots, although two of her Fever teammates are set to play in the league. Aliyah Boston was announced as a member of the Vinyl, coached by Teresa Weatherspoon, while Lexie Hull is a member of the Rose, coached by Nola Henry.
There figure to be six teams in total in Unrivaled, with the entirety of the league’s games to be played in Miami. The league will kick off on Jan. 17, 2025.
Clark enjoyed a hectic year in 2024. She commanded the college basketball spotlight as she led the Iowa Hawkeyes to a national championship appearance before being selected with the No. 1 pick in the draft. She then found her footing in the WNBA and managed to lead Indiana to its first playoff appearance since 2016, while averaging 19.2 points per game. With her rookie season behind her, Clark will enjoy some much deserved down time during the offseason.
Even without Clark’s participation, Unrivaled figures to provide plenty of excitement during the WNBA offseason.
Caitlin Clark makes decision on $1m Unrivaled offer after spot left open for WNBA star
Caitlin Clark is reportedly set to decline a $1 million offer to join the new Unrivaled 3v3 basketball league after her record-breaking season with the Indiana Fever
Caitlin Clark is reportedly set to turn down Unrivaled (Image: Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Caitlin Clark has reportedly rejected a $1million offer to join the new Unrivaled 3v3 basketball league, despite a “wildcard” spot being reserved for her.
Unrivaled launched its club selection for six teams on Wednesday, announcing 34 out of the possible 36 players, leaving room for two “wildcard” entrants. It has long been speculated that a place had been saved for Fever guard Clark, who lit up the WNBA during her rookie season in Indiana.
At just 22 years old, Clark has been no stranger to fame, shattering the all-time NCAA scoring record with Iowa and taking the Hawkeyes to the national championship during her college career. Clark is at the center of women’s basketball’s boom in popularity and there was hope she would reconsider joining Unrivaled after a surge of investments saw the number of players rise from 30 to 36.
Yet, it’s reported by ESPN that Clark will decline a huge $1million offer to enjoy a break and stay away from the limelight during her first WNBA offseason. It’s been a busy year for Clark, who was selected as the number one overall draft pick shortly after ending her season with the Hawkeyes.
Aside from playing at the Annika LPGA pro-am event, the newly crowned Rookie of the Year has had a relatively quiet off-season. Last month, discussing her interest in joining Unrivaled, Clark told the Indianapolis Star: “We’ll see. I don’t know. Just taking it as it goes, and see if I want to play eventually.”
The president of Unrivaled, Alex Bazzell, has all but confirmed that the wildcard spots were created to allow for Clark to join at a later date. “We’re always going to have a roster spot for Caitlin Clark,” he admitted in an interview with 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.
WNBA player Caitlin Clark plays during the Pro-Am prior to The RSM Classic 2024 at Sea Island Resort (Image: Getty Images)
“[We’re] proud of what we’ve built, and we’re in a position to succeed. But if she played, she would take it to another level. She knows we would love to have her.”
A few of Clark’s former and recent team-mates are gearing up to play in the inaugural 3v3 league. Kate Martin, who shared the court with Clark for four seasons at Iowa, will be playing alongside Kelsey Plum and Alyssa Thomas for Laces Basketball Club.
Additionally, Aliyah Boston from the Indiana Fever will team up with Arike Ogunbowale and Rhyne Howard for the Vinyl Basketball Club, coached by ex-Chicago Sky coach Teresa Witherspoon.
