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Caitlin Clark would be $10M richer if a predictably annoying obstacle backed off

Caitlin Clark might be the biggest name in the WNBA, but her big-time paycheck could have been even bigger had one obstacle been removed.

By Sam Fariss

Jun 3, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) talks with an official during a timeout at a game between the Indiana Fever and the Washington Mystics at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Jun 3, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) talks with an official during a timeout at a game between the Indiana Fever and the Washington Mystics at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. / Grace Smith-INDIANAPOLIS STAR-Imagn Images
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Caitlin Clark is one of the biggest names in the WNBA, much less one of the biggest names in all of women's sports. Her pay day? Not quite the amount that a lot of people would expect. Clark's four-year contract with the Indiana Fever was signed for $338,056, with a rookie salary of just $76,535.

Not a lot. However, Clark has signed some incredible brand deals with companies such as Nike, Gatorade, and more.

Yet, she could have been worth a lot more dough. Recently, rapper and songwriter Ice Cube, who founded the 3X3 basketball league Big3, shared that Clark had an offer on the table to play in the league. This is all despite the league still being men-only (although Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman is currently a coach in the league).

"A real offer," Ice Cube said, worth around $10 million. Yet, Clark never even had the opportunity to hear the offer. Ice Cube also said that Clark's agents got in the way of her ever hearing all of the details from the league itself.

"We just wanted to have a conversation with her and her family about it," Ice Cube said when speaking on Run It Back, a FanDuel podcast about the NBA and WNBA. "That didn't happen."

Clark's offer to play in The Big 3 was for $10 million, nearly 30 times the amount of money that she signed her rookie contract for. While Clark is doing just fine, and this is by no means to say that she should have played in Ice Cube's league, who could complain about an extra $10 million in their bank account?

Can WNBA players participate in other leagues?

Since the WNBA's inception, players have played outside of the league, mainly overseas, due to a lack of paying leagues in the United States. Only recently, with leagues like Big3 and Unrivaled, have players been able to find additional income through other avenues (beyond the already-existing brand deals).

Paige Bueckers is one of the marquee names to recently accept a lucrative offer to play in the growing Unrivaled league. It is reported that she'll make more in her first year there than in her first four years combined with the Dallas Wings.

There is no stipulation stating that WNBA players are barred from playing in Big 3, so Clark would have been more than welcome to play in both the WNBA and Ice Cube's league.

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