Las Vegas Aces star Kelsey Plum recently shared her thoughts on Caitlin Clark being offered $5 million to play in the BIG3, a 3×3 basketball tournament organized by rapper Ice Cube, during Wednesday's edition of the Pat McAfee Show.
“I know that she’s not the only one that’s gotten offers, and I think that it will be interesting to see. That’s a lot of money for only ten games,” said Plum.
“I think it’ll be interesting because it is an Olympic year, I don’t suspect you’ll have maybe a high level of people that go, but in other years, shoot guys, you never know.”
"Caitlin Clark isn't the only one who has had offers from the BIG3 and that's a lot of money for only ten games..
I think it really just depends on the person and it's pretty cool that they're making these offers" ~ @Kelseyplum10 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/X7LcKoRlRn
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 4, 2024
The Hawkeyes superstar's $5 million offer to play in the BIG3 has garnered significant attention, becoming a focal point of discussions surrounding the league.
Ice Cube has expressed his desire to transform the BIG3 into an attractive destination for female basketball players, offering an alternative to countries like Qatar.
Kelsey Plum says Caitlin Clark can simultaneously play in WNBA, BIG3
Plum's belief is that Clark can successfully juggle participation in both the WNBA and BIG3, primarily motivated by the substantial financial rewards she stands to gain.
“Five million dollars is not something to just say, oh, you know, wave your arm at, you know what I mean? Ten weeks, roll the ball out, I don’t know. I think that the BIG3 and the offers will continue to evolve and we’ll see,” Plum continued.
“It would be nice if they’d coordinate it with the W, so it’s a little bit more doable with the travel and everything like that, but at the same time you’ve got to start somewhere. So it’s pretty cool that they’re involving us, and they’re open to new things.”
Concerns have also been raised about the feasibility of Clark participating in both the WNBA and the BIG3 concurrently.
Clark could face scheduling conflicts due to WNBA games predominantly taking place on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, while the BIG3 events take place on Saturdays, potentially disrupting Clark's training routine or game preparation.
To address this challenge, Clark could utilize her court time during the BIG3 games as a form of training for the upcoming WNBA game on Sunday.
Ice Cube believes in Caitlin Clark's star power
Ice Cube, the creator of the BIG3 League, recently joined the All The Smoke podcast to elaborate on why he extended such a substantial offer to Clark.
“We don't really want to go all the way into the deal and everything we have offered. If she agrees it'll all come out,” Ice Cube said. “With us it's kind of a NIL situation, our sponsors are clamoring, they would love for her to join the league, and if she joined the league, they would support the league even more.
“It's a thing where we believe the money is there if she decides to join the league with no problem because they're just sitting there waiting for her,” he continued.
The choice to offer $5 million to Clark stemmed from her significant influence and star power, which Ice Cube believes can draw millions of new viewers to the league and its related products.
A similar trend has been observed throughout the women's NCAA tournament, particularly in games featuring Clark, which have consistently garnered some of the highest viewership numbers in the history of women's college basketball. From a sponsor's standpoint, maximizing exposure for their product is their primary objective.
The question remains: Will Clark ultimately join the BIG3? And if she does, could she potentially pave the way for more female players to earn salaries exceeding a million dollars?
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