Basketball analyst Rebecca Lobo slams Caitlin Clark to Big 3 as contrived maneuver: "We all kind of look at this as a publicity stunt"
The Caitlin Clark effect has struck in a big way. It was revealed on Wednesday that she had received a humongous offer to play 3-on-3 basketball for the Big 3 basketball league.
The offer is said to be worth $5 million to play for a team in the 10-game league, which mainly stars retired NBA players, showing the immense reach that the Iowa Hawkeyes star has managed to garner.
Caitlin Clark is widely expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft to the Indiana Fever, and should she agree to play in the Big 3, only two playoff games would conflict with the WNBA season.
ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo had a different yet nuanced take on the proposed offer by Ice Cube during Thursday's episode of "First Take."
“My advice to my children would be, if someone offers you $5 million to do something that you love, and it’s legal, you should at least consider it,” Lobo said.
“I think we all kind of look at this as a bit of a publicity stunt. You have to understand that the WNBA’s CBA prohibits a player from playing in two leagues during the WNBA season, so it’s not like Caitlin could play for the Indiana Fever on a Thursday and then go play in the Big 3 on the weekend. She would have to make a choice."
Rapper Ice Cube announced the proposed deal on X, confirming intense speculation about the issue.
"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," Ice Cube wrote. "Why wouldn’t we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3."
Bagging Caitlin Clark would be a coup for Ice Cube
Caitlin Clark is one of the most marketable student-athletes with a humongous $3.1 million NIL valuation (as per On3) and lucrative deals with brands like State Farm and Gatorade.
According to an ESPN report, the Big 3 league is at loggerheads with the NBA, which has repeatedly refused invitations to invest in the startup league, even going as far as reportedly discouraging investors from being associated with them.
These efforts caught the attention of the Department of Justice, which opened a case against the NBA, which owns the WNBA, for anti-trust law breaches of its practices against Big 3.
If Big 3 manages to snag the most recognizable student-athlete in the country, that will be a major coup for Ice Cube and his basketball league.
During an appearance on the "Pat McAfee Show," Ice Cube sounded optimistic that the popular Caitlin Clark was considering the offer.
"We just need an answer, as soon as they are ready to give it to us," he said. "It's always 50-50 till we get a no. At the end of the day, it's a generous offer."
Whether or not the record-breaking Clark decides to shock college hoops fans by agreeing to the deal, the proposal being on the table already shows just how popular the Iowa superstar has become.