"Nancy Lieberman would be perfect coach for Caitlin Clark": Ice Cube picks basketball HoFer as ideal mentor for Iowa star if she accepts BIG3 offer
American rapper Ice Cube recently made an open offer to Caitlin Clark worth $5 million to play in BIG3. While no official confirmation has come from the Iowa sensation about her plans for an eventual move, this news instantly sparked debate among the fans.
Speaking on the Pat McAfee podcast, Ice Cube revealed the team he would like Caitlin Clark to join should she say yes to his offer. He even made it clear which coach he would prefer to act as a coach to the former National Player of the Year.
"We think, you know, Nancy would be the perfect coach for her. Nancy, Nancy Lieberman is a groundbreaking coach. She's, you know, broken, you know, glass ceilings at all levels. So, you know, we think it's a perfect, you know, mentor for, for her if she wants to play in the league."
Previously, the hiring of Nancy Lieberman (November 2009) as the first woman to coach the Texas Legends of the NBA G League (men's pro sports team) was met with severe criticism. However, with a title in her first year, all doubts were rendered moot as Nancy established her credentials.
During his initial comments about the offer to Caitlin Clark, Ice Cube made it a point to note the groundbreaking history of the league.
"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."
Lexie Brown reacts to BIG3 offer for Caitlin Clark
While explaining his decision to offer Caitlin Clark the contract, Ice Cube made it a point to talk about how the BIG3 was offering WNBA players an alternative to increase their earnings.
For years, that model has come through in the form of overseas leagues, which Ice Cube was highly critical of. For former WNBA champion Lexie Brown, these comments in particular did not sit well.
"You pretty much offended all of the European countries that opened the door to us, give us a lot of money, a lot of love, and a lot of experience by calling them dismal and dubious. And there are some very beautiful countries that we have the opportunity to go play in."
But, most importantly, she took offense to Ice Cube framing his offer to Caitlin Clark as an opportunity to advance basketball. Instead, the entire situation was a business decision from a businessman, according to Lexie.
"I think he's trying to make a business decision, which he's a businessman, that makes sense. But to mask it in this 'I want to uplift and support WNBA players and women athletes' is kind of a cop-out I think."
When news first broke, the conversation quickly turned into a myriad of jokes from the fanbase, who had some hilarious reactions to the offer made by Ice Cube.
Do you think Caitlin Clark should take the offer from Ice Cube? Let us know in the comments below.