Will Caitlin Clark take her talents to South Beach?
That's literally the million dollar question.
The roster for Unrivaled Basketball, a 3-on-3 league co-founded by WNBA stars Brianna Stewart and Nafeesa Collier, was announced Wednesday, but Clark's name remained conspicuously absent.
Fans speculated that the current WNBA Rookie of the Year would eventually join Unrivaled, despite previously saying she would step away from basketball this offseason. was.
Unrivaled Basketball's official social media accounts only added to the buzz Tuesday night when they announced that Wednesday's draft would begin at 11 a.m. ET and last for 22 minutes, which would be Clark's jersey number. It's possible that it's something like that.
Clark, fresh off a record-breaking rookie season with the Indiana Fever, reportedly received a $1 million offer as a first-year member of the Unrivaled. That's a significant raise compared to her WNBA rookie salary of $76,535.
However, fans will have to keep watching to see if Clarke takes up the unrivaled offer.
There are still two spots available in the 36-man field. The Lunar Owls and Phantoms hold “wild card” spots on their rosters, which means coaches can scout players to join the team.
Clark took the league by storm, breaking numerous records in his first season with the Fever. She became the first rookie to record a triple-double, which she accomplished not once but twice. The 2024 top pick also led the league in 3-pointers made (122) and assists (337), and averaged a rookie-best 19.2 points per game.
Stewart and Collier teamed up to launch Unrivaled Basketball with the goal of keeping more WNBA players in the U.S. rather than playing their offseasons overseas to supplement their income. . It is said to pay the highest average annual salary of any women's sports league to date, and players will receive rights to the league, an important detail and likely future collective bargaining negotiations with the WNBA. This will be a point of contention in the agreement.
Unrivaled's eight-week season is scheduled to begin Jan. 17 in Miami and features an all-star roster including Brittney Griner, Arike Ogunbowale and Chelsea Gray.
Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, one of the league's most popular rookies, is among the 36 players who will take the court in Unrivaled's first year.
In addition to Stewart, New York Liberty fans will also be rooting for guard Courtney Vandersloot.
More than 45 games will be broadcast on TNT Sports platforms as part of the league's multi-year media rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery, reportedly valued at $100 million.
