INDIANAPOLIS — Following practices ramping up in the last week of July, it’s finally gameweek for the Indiana Fever. Eleven of the team’s players are back in town, the lone exemption being Australian medal-winner Kristy Wallace, who is traveling back from the recent Paris Olympics.
Simultaneous with the 2024 Games, Unrivaled Basketball has slowly continued to announce its 30-player field, including Dearica Hamby as the latest. USA Olympians Breanna Stewart and Napheeesa Collier co-founded Unrivaled, deemed an innovative 3×3 professional women’s basketball league, tipping off in January 2025. All players will receive equity ownership in it too.
It’ll run for eight weeks, and therefore won’t bleed into the 2025 WNBA regular season. Collier hinted on X August 9 that there will be at least four rookies. So far, only Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese has been announced. An obvious choice is Fever top-overall pick Caitlin Clark.
“Honestly, I’m just focused on [the Fever],” Clark said at Tuesday’s practice, not revealing any plans. “One thing at a time. Can’t always just be moving on to the next. My focus is right here.”
Will Fever's Caitlin Clark join Unrivaled?
Unrivaled’s website says the league is setting the record for average salaries in women’s sports. Aside from all original 30 players receiving equity as mentioned, Yahoo Sports reported that the league has many high-profile investors, and Collier said Unrivaled has targeted any great player in the WNBA one can think of, to give an idea. Player salaries will also be minimum six-figures.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania posted on X that the league cap is at minimum — $7.5 million — meaning an average of $250,000. The winner of the league’s 1V1 Tournament will receive minimum of $250,000, Collier also leaked. Strictly speaking financials, Clark has numerous endorsement deals. The deal she signed with Nike was reportedly worth in the millions also, via The Associated Press.
That yet doesn’t answer the question of what the Fever star will do. Clark's popularity in the WNBA could mean it’s logical to ask for more money, and that of course, would have to be accepted. She has been an incredible beam to unprecedented growth in viewership in the WNBA. That could be identically valuable for Unrivaled, which will likely look to steady progress and sustainability.
Angel Reese’s reasoning for joining Unrivaled
Perhaps, this is what the decision could rest on. Reese said in the first week of August that she never planned to go overseas, per Julia Poe. It’s been usual practice in years past for WNBA players to play internationally during the WNBA offseason. As of 2020, there’s also now more marketing opportunities for WNBA players, and therefore, more reason to stay stateside, per Sportico.
Reese said verbatim: “Nobody wants to go overseas, a lot of us never want to have to go overseas, but some people do have to go.” Now it’s up to Clark. Right now it’s cryptic for her plans and what they may depend on. There’s also Athletes Unlimited, another offseason league. Average salaries in Athletes Unlimited is astronomically lower than Unrivaled.
But for right now, Clark and the Fever resume the season Friday at home. And they hold playoff positioning.
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