After all, Caitlin Clark won't be taking her talents to South Beach.
The Indiana Fever star turned down an offer to play in Unrivaled Basketball, a new 3-on-3 league scheduled to debut in January 2025. ESPN reported Wednesday evening.
The news came just hours after the league announced the six-team rosters and coaching assignments in a 22-minute YouTube livestream.
With two spots remaining in the league, some speculated that the length of the video was a nod to Clark's No. 22 Fever jersey.
But that detail now seems nothing more than a strange coincidence.
Clark reportedly turned down a $1 million offer to join the league, which was co-founded by WNBA stars Brianna Stewart and Napheesa Collier. However, The Athletic reports that her invitation will be put on hold in case Clark changes his mind.
But if there's one player who could use his time off the court to shine in the spotlight, it's probably Clark, who is coming off a record-setting rookie season.
Clark averaged a rookie-high 19.2 points and 8.4 assists per game. She also grabbed 5.7 rebounds per game and shot 41.7 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from 3-point range, earning her a near-unanimous 2024 Rookie of the Year award.
It's also worth noting that Clark only had a short break between the University of Iowa's NCAA Tournament appearance in the national championship game and the start of the WNBA preseason.
She also became a lightning rod in the WNBA, with some of her most ardent fans coming to her defense for the physicality she faced.
Clark hit the green this offseason. Last week, she participated in the Anika LPGA Tournament Pro-Am. And on Wednesday, she appeared at the RSM Classic Pro-Am.
Ms. Clark will also be the guest speaker at the Major Women in Sports Awards Luncheon celebrating National Women's Sports Day in Kansas City on February 4th.
It remains to be seen who will take the remaining two spots in Unrivaled. The league opens on January 17th in Miami.
