close
close

The lucrative women’s basketball league’s latest addition could be the final piece to seduce Caitlin Clark as time runs out for a ‘Messi-like’ deal

Posted on by Pranco
The lucrative women’s basketball league’s latest addition could be the final piece to seduce Caitlin Clark as time runs out for a ‘Messi-like’ deal

Unrivaled has signed an Iowa Hawkeye – and it could pave the way for another.

Kate Martin, the Las Vegas Aces rookie and Caitlin Clark’s college teammate, agreed to a deal with the upstart women’s basketball league.

Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin played together in two NCAA national championship games and lost both

3

Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin played together in two NCAA national championship games and lost bothCredit: Daily Iowan/Ayrton Breckenridge

Unrivaled is a new 3-on-3 league that has recruited the best women’s basketball players in the world for its eight-week season, including Angel Reese.

There were only 30 spots available, and after the announcement of Martin’s signing, 27 are filled.

Three spots, with hopes Clark can grab one amid reports of a lucrative bid.

Martin played in 34 games with the Las Vegas Aces this past season, averaging 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds in 11 minutes per game.

The numbers don’t exactly jump off the page, but Martin is very close to former Iowa teammate Clark, something not many of the other 26 enlisted members bring to the party.

Unrivaled has set its sights on the biggest star in women’s basketball, with a ‘Lionel Messi-like’ deal on the table for Clark.

The unprecedented President Alex Bazzell confirmed this in an interview with Sports business magazine.

“We’re going to make that offer,” Bazzell said.

“It’s going to be a historic offer, but we’re going to give her time to mentally escape basketball before we sit down and have that conversation.

Clark dominated the WNBA in her rookie year, breaking numerous records and taking home the WNBA ROY

3

Clark dominated the WNBA in her rookie year, breaking numerous records and taking home the WNBA ROYCredit: Getty

“But somehow I think this league is built for the stars, and I think we can move the needle in a different way for those stars and give them an edge in the long run as well.”

It’s no secret that Clark is one of the most polarizing figures not just in women’s basketball, but in all of sports.

Love her or hate her, she moves the needle.

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark shows off her mad golf skills

She attracts eyeballs.

And that’s what Bazzell is counting on.

He hopes they can sign Clark and she can have an impact like that global superstar, Messihas had in the MLS.

The hope would be that Clark boosts ticket sales and TV partner ratings TNT Sportswhile attracting big name advertisers, which Clark has proven to do, after just one season in W.N.B.A.

Clark finished fourth in the MVP race in her freshman season

3

Clark finished fourth in the MVP race in her freshman seasonCredit: Getty

Unrivaled was co-founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier (Bazzell’s wife), hoping to create a league that will pay its 30 players the “highest salaries in the history of women’s professional sports league.”

League sources confirmed this Front office sports that Unrivaled will not take a one-size-fits-all approach to compensation. Instead, players are paid on a sliding scale.

The bigger the star, the more they will make, and there is no bigger star than Clark.

She’ll have a big decision to make in the near future, and now that one of her best friends is in the league, that decision may have been made just a little bit easier.