OT Ice Cube offers Caitlin Clark 5 million dollar contract to join BIG 3 League

[Doctor MJ]

The (nba/wnba) mafia will bully her into rejecting that offer

I think the bigger force here is Nike. If Nike's happy for her to do it, no reason for her to be afraid of the NBA.

If I were Nike though, I'd want her to say "No".

[Doctor MJ]

Read on Twitter

This would be the most money ever offered to a female basketball player coming out of college, 5 million for one season. WNBA contract would not anywhere match this.

My 2 cents:

While I think it's ridiculous for women's basketball players to complain about Clark getting offers they never did - this ain't charity, Clark is a big draw right now - were I Clark, I wouldn't take the offer because I'd know that I couldn't compete in a league that is drawing capable men, and losing to nobodies would hurt my personal brand and the women's game.

I'll also say that while I like Ice Cube's idea to try to go after the women's market, I feel like he's not thinking about the long-term health of his league when he does this. Long term, the Big 3 needs to be thinking about building the best basketball product possible, and unless they have a separate women's league, Clark won't have a place in what a successful league looks like.

Regarding the idea that it's so much money that Clark has to take it, I'd disagree completely. Her big money will come from endorsements not competitive salary, and she'll jeopardize those future endorsements by doing this and going from "maybe the greatest female baller we've ever seen" to "another woman who couldn't compete with men".

It's not a real league. It's a bunch of ppl drinking 40s and playing 3 on 3. It's half court!

So you're saying Clark should sell her brand for $5 mill to play with unserious people who will associate her with malt liquor?

I think you're underestimating the value of her brand and her need for quick money. She's already a millionaire several times over from NIL.

[Doctor MJ]

Explain to me how the WNBA is the better move genius.

Endorsement potential.

[moderndarwin]

She’d get dominated so bad lol this is not serious news this just a way for the cube of ice to promote the league and get it into the mainstream news discussions. smart.

[Doctor MJ]

Clark has no other avenue to earn $5 million.

You're confused. She's already made close to this if not more.

[bballfan1three3]

My 2 cents:

While I think it's ridiculous for women's basketball players to complain about Clark getting offers they never did - this ain't charity, Clark is a big draw right now - were I Clark, I wouldn't take the offer because I'd know that I couldn't compete in a league that is drawing capable men, and losing to nobodies would hurt my personal brand and the women's game.

I'll also say that while I like Ice Cube's idea to try to go after the women's market, I feel like he's not thinking about the long-term health of his league when he does this. Long term, the Big 3 needs to be thinking about building the best basketball product possible, and unless they have a separate women's league, Clark won't have a place in what a successful league looks like.

Regarding the idea that it's so much money that Clark has to take it, I'd disagree completely. Her big money will come from endorsements not competitive salary, and she'll jeopardize those future endorsements by doing this and going from "maybe the greatest female baller we've ever seen" to "another woman who couldn't compete with men".

It's not a real league. It's a bunch of ppl drinking 40s and playing 3 on 3. It's half court!

So you're saying Clark should sell her brand for $5 mill to play with unserious people who will associate her with malt liquor?

I think you're underestimating the value of her brand and her need for quick money. She's already a millionaire several times over from NIL.

I think you're underestimating how little the average person cares about logic behind branding. McDonald's is garbage ppl eat it every day. Brands are just popular things.

Going up against MEN is like the final ceiling. Just imagine for one second how famous she would be if she could even remotely compete. For real.

It's not a "real league" as in they aren't playing full court and taking it as serious as pro sports. So what. I'm interested in the AVERAGE persons interest in putting themselves in the big 3 players shoes.

This is more like a professional version of an office basketball league. No one over 40 is gonna want to run serious games full court vs men in their teens and 20s- no duh. They will lose. But people actually do play serious games at offices that would mimic this- maybe a 22 year old girl vs a 45 year old male is a somewhat fair matchup, I don't know. Never seen it. It's more about "street cred" than anything else.

These YouTube videos will get like 50 Million views. Ice cubes is a genius

This is the absolute most ideal situation for her.

-they have 4 point shots
-her whole game is shooting
-half court
-opponents are somewhat older. As old as realistically possible for her to be taken serious
-lots of breaks, not too much sprinting

If she still can't yeah throw in the towel. But this is a actual fun scenario people could do in their driveway.

Also like 99% of humans understand that MEN and WOMEN are different. It's just an obtuse few who put head in the sand, for reasons unknown. Morality I assume.

I don't see how losing in a MENS league would make a WOMAN look bad. If anything it makes her look good she was even invited.

[FrodoFraggins]

The only downside I see to doing it is getting herself exposed by playing against men.

[NyKnicks1714]

This is more money than she'd make from her salary throughout her entire WNBA career (more or less). Her endorsements would take a big hit though, and the novelty of her playing against men in the Big 3 league would wear off after at most a year. WNBA is the better career path for her.

WNBA max salary per season: $235,000

Big 3 offer: $5,000,000 for one season

It would take 21 years making the biggest salary in the WNBA to match one year of the Big3. Explain to me how the WNBA is the better move genius.

Ask me politely first.

[xdrta+]

I don't get the reasoning that her "brand" will take a big dive. If she can compete, people will say, big deal, it's just against old, fat guys. If she can't, people will say, big deal, it's against men. No one is really going to care about the result. It's a novelty that people will tune into just for the fun of it.

10 games? Take the money, I say. There's really no downside.

[sisibilio]

This is more money than she'd make from her salary throughout her entire WNBA career (more or less). Her endorsements would take a big hit though, and the novelty of her playing against men in the Big 3 league would wear off after at most a year. WNBA is the better career path for her.

She can make 1+ million a year playing in Europe also, and the big bucks are in endorsements anyway.

[sisibilio]

Lowering the rim instantly discredits any league.

Sent from my SM-N975U using RealGM mobile app

Well the wnba is losing money every year and is subsidized by the nba.

Wnba players are already using smaller balls so its not the same game anyway. If there were more dunks due to lowered rims, I bet viewership would go up.

At any rate its not like they are doing well currently anyway....

Lowering the rim IMO, is just basically giving up. Like, I shared many times that I have depression, and my psychiatrist sometimes say that I should get a dog or cat, but I feel, if I do that - that is just giving up. So yeah, lowering the rim, is an equivalent of lonely person getting a cat, I do not like the idea.

How is that giving up?
Gtting a dog would actually help the socializing stuff big time. IDK

[UcanUwill]

Well the wnba is losing money every year and is subsidized by the nba.

Wnba players are already using smaller balls so its not the same game anyway. If there were more dunks due to lowered rims, I bet viewership would go up.

At any rate its not like they are doing well currently anyway....

Lowering the rim IMO, is just basically giving up. Like, I shared many times that I have depression, and my psychiatrist sometimes say that I should get a dog or cat, but I feel, if I do that - that is just giving up. So yeah, lowering the rim, is an equivalent of lonely person getting a cat, I do not like the idea.

How is that giving up?
Gtting a dog would actually help the socializing stuff big time. IDK

I think lowering the rim takes a lot of credibility away from it. Someone said it is insulting, and I agree. Grasp for straw that isn't needed that much. If you do not think that, thats fine, but I never really understand why people want to see dunking that much anyway. I can not perceive a scenario where WNBA gets more popular because players can play above the rim now. If you weren't into women Basketball, you wont become a fan because rims are now lower, I find it to be a ridiculous solution to say the least.

[KembaWalker]

NBA should raise the rim, why are they out here playing on the same rim that I played on in 3rd grade? You’re 7’ and you need the rim the same height as a 3rd grader? Man up

[Doctor MJ]

The only downside I see to doing it is getting herself exposed by playing against men.

Which is a HUGE, deal-breaking downside imho.

[Ducklett]

I don't get the reasoning that her "brand" will take a big dive. If she can compete, people will say, big deal, it's just against old, fat guys. If she can't, people will say, big deal, it's against men. No one is really going to care about the result. It's a novelty that people will tune into just for the fun of it.

10 games? Take the money, I say. There's really no downside.

Your argument doesn't really hold water in 2024 and I don't plan on derailing this thread or getting it closed by turning it into anything other at the discussion of Caitlyn, so I won't elaborate.

I wanna say good for Caitlyn getting a big money offer, even if it is Ice Cube using her popularity to try to make his league relevant.

[Doctor MJ]

NBA should raise the rim, why are they out here playing on the same rim that I played on in 3rd grade? You’re 7’ and you need the rim the same height as a 3rd grader? Man up

I get the joke but wanted to say:

Part of the beauty of the game of basketball is that a city can build cheap courts that everyone gets used to playing on. I'd frankly rather there be zero changes to the courts between levels of play - and that includes college vs the pros with the 3-point line.

And honestly part of me feels the same way for the ball itself, but since players generally bring their own balls to the court anyway, this is less of a concern.

[xdrta+]

I don't get the reasoning that her "brand" will take a big dive. If she can compete, people will say, big deal, it's just against old, fat guys. If she can't, people will say, big deal, it's against men. No one is really going to care about the result. It's a novelty that people will tune into just for the fun of it.

10 games? Take the money, I say. There's really no downside.

Your argument doesn't really hold water in 2024 and I don't plan on derailing this thread or getting it closed by turning it into anything other at the discussion of Caitlyn, so I won't elaborate.

I wanna say good for Caitlyn getting a big money offer, even if it is Ice Cube using her popularity to try to make his league relevant.

I have no idea what the bolded part means, and I doubt that you do either.

[Doctor MJ]

I don't get the reasoning that her "brand" will take a big dive. If she can compete, people will say, big deal, it's just against old, fat guys. If she can't, people will say, big deal, it's against men. No one is really going to care about the result. It's a novelty that people will tune into just for the fun of it.

10 games? Take the money, I say. There's really no downside.

Re: if she can't compete, big deal, it's against men. Hmm, well:

1. The people tuning in to watch Clark in general are going to be people excited about Clark. If they watch her get humiliated, this may well dampen their enthusiasm.

2. Since not just Clark but everyone in the women's game is invested in the bubble of hype surrounding Clark, making her next move something that humiliates her seems like a guaranteed way to puncture the bubble.

3. There's already a great deal of resentment among female players for the opportunities Clark is getting, and accepting this will make it worse. You might think "Why does Clark care about that?", but realistically she's going to have to play with top women if she wants to have a long, successful career.

4. If you didn't realize, there's already a specific resentment against straight, white women in the WNBA. Kelsey Plum has talked about knowing all about this before she even got to the WNBA, and working really hard to prove that she wasn't an entitled diva. Clark has also already shown a pretty deft touch in not accepting special treatment - like when Jill Biden suggested "both teams should come to the White House!" after last year's NCAA finals which left many in the women's game thinking, "She wouldn't have said that if Clark wasn't white". (For the record, I don't think Biden had any ill intentions there...but I also don't think she'd have been as aware of Iowa if not for Clark, and wouldn't have been aware of Clark if she looked different. She was foolish, and Clark & Iowa would have been foolish to embrace he suggestion, but they didn't.)

[Doctor MJ]

It's not a real league. It's a bunch of ppl drinking 40s and playing 3 on 3. It's half court!

So you're saying Clark should sell her brand for $5 mill to play with unserious people who will associate her with malt liquor?

I think you're underestimating the value of her brand and her need for quick money. She's already a millionaire several times over from NIL.

I think you're underestimating how little the average person cares about logic behind branding. McDonald's is garbage ppl eat it every day. Brands are just popular things.

Going up against MEN is like the final ceiling. Just imagine for one second how famous she would be if she could even remotely compete. For real.

It's not a "real league" as in they aren't playing full court and taking it as serious as pro sports. So what. I'm interested in the AVERAGE persons interest in putting themselves in the big 3 players shoes.

This is more like a professional version of an office basketball league. No one over 40 is gonna want to run serious games full court vs men in their teens and 20s- no duh. They will lose. But people actually do play serious games at offices that would mimic this- maybe a 22 year old girl vs a 45 year old male is a somewhat fair matchup, I don't know. Never seen it. It's more about "street cred" than anything else.

These YouTube videos will get like 50 Million views. Ice cubes is a genius

This is the absolute most ideal situation for her.

-they have 4 point shots
-her whole game is shooting
-half court
-opponents are somewhat older. As old as realistically possible for her to be taken serious
-lots of breaks, not too much sprinting

If she still can't yeah throw in the towel. But this is a actual fun scenario people could do in their driveway.

Also like 99% of humans understand that MEN and WOMEN are different. It's just an obtuse few who put head in the sand, for reasons unknown. Morality I assume.

I don't see how losing in a MENS league would make a WOMAN look bad. If anything it makes her look good she was even invited.

So we're clear, when I'm talking about branding here, I'm talking about the "Caitlin Clark" brand, and I'm not saying people care about "the branding", I'm saying they care about Clark but they won't always.

Consider this extreme career suicide scenario:

Imagine if Clark got offered a ton of money to be in porn. You really think parents would be happy to have Clark as a role model for their daughters? I personally think that if Clark wanted to do this she should have every right to do it, but in terms of future earnings, it would severely damage her brand.

So, while we can debate about the possible impacts to Clark's brand that the Big 3 league could have, the idea that it couldn't have any is just naive. The reality is that Clark has the hype she does now not because she's the clear cut greatest prospect the NCAA has ever produced, but because a confluence of factors has led he to become a crossover phenomenon, and that's something that's frankly still a fragile thing.

Let's ignore everything else and just consider a Scoot Henderson type of situation:

Scoot was hyped (irresponsibly) by the NBA was a rival to Wemby and has looked like someone who can't even be an NBA player. He personally still has time to improve and make a career for himself...but the G-league Ignite is already dead, and the G-league itself is damaged a great deal because of how this played out. The NBA was trying to create a narrative that the G-league was the better place to train for the NBA compared to college - and frankly that should have been possible - but now we can basically see that they were prioritizing hype over actually giving players realistic evaluations and good training.

Wherever Clark goes after college basketball, if she's an utter, embarrassing flop, the wave of buzz she was leaving in her wake dies, and so do the opportunities that the wave provided.

If that flop comes in the WNBA, then all of that was bound to happen anyway so while it stings crossover women's basketball appeal, there was nothing really to be done about it, because one more year in college wouldn't have changed a thing.

Such a flop elsewhere though is an unforced error. There's a reason why we've never had a super-hyped event between Serena Williams and top men in tennis, and it's not so much because we know who would win that match but that it would give us high profile footage of Williams' strengths getting shut down cold and her weaknesses making her look amateurish. Her ability to inspire young women after that would certainly not be helped by it.

[Effigy]

The (nba/wnba) mafia will bully her into rejecting that offer

I think the bigger force here is Nike. If Nike's happy for her to do it, no reason for her to be afraid of the NBA.

If I were Nike though, I'd want her to say "No".

Why though? Who's watching the Indiana Fever? Let her do this, let Ice Cube promote the hell out of it, then her introduction to the WNBA can also be promoted. I only see positives for Nike, no negatives.