Barstool Sports, Big3 in bidding war over Caitlin Clark

Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark. Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK

Barstool Sports, Big3 in bidding war over college basketball star Caitlin Clark

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 3/28/24

Iowa star Caitlin Clark’s post-college basketball prospects are looking pretty good right about now.

Though Clark still has four possible games left in her season (No. 1 seed Iowa plays No. 5 seed Colorado on Saturday in the Sweet 16 round of the women’s NCAA Tournament), she has two lucrative offers on the table once her season ends.

One is from Barstool Sports and the other is from Big3, a 12-team 3-on-3 league comprised of former NBA players and international players.

Clark, the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer (both men and women), was offered $5 million earlier in the week by Big3 founder Ice Cube to play a potential 10-game schedule (eight regular-season games, two playoff games).

The offer would also allow her to play in the WNBA as well, according to TMZ Sports, and would give her additional compensation for merchandise sales and sponsorship deals.

The skeptics laughed when we made Nancy Lieberman the first female coach of a men’s pro team, and she won the championship in her first year. Then Lisa Leslie won it all in year two. With our offer, Caitlin Clark can make history and break down even more barriers for women…
— Ice Cube (@icecube) March 27, 2024

America’s women athletes should not be forced to spend their off seasons playing in often dismal and dubious foreign countries just to make ends meet.
— Ice Cube (@icecube) March 27, 2024

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy countered Ice Cube’s offer with a salary that doubles what she’d make in the Big3 league to play for Barstool’s intramural team.

It’s not known whether Portnoy’s offer is serious or in jest, but Clark certainly has plenty to think about once the NCAA Tournament concludes.

The 22-year-old has already announced she’s entering the 2024 WNBA Draft. The Indiana Fever, who hold the top pick, have given every indication they’re taking her with that selection.

Clark’s salary as the No. 1 overall pick would be $76,000, roughly 1.6 percent of what she would make in the Big3 league and .076 percent of what she would make playing for Barstool’s intramural team. No player in the WNBA made more than $600,000 last year.

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