Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson was purportedly “offered more” than the Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark to join the new 3-on-3 Unrivaled basketball league during the off-season.
The competition, which was founded by WNBA players Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, will run for eight weeks from Jan. 17 onwards. Initially, the participation of 30 stars had been promised but this was expanded to 36 – with rosters for six teams having been announced this week.
Currently, 34 players are confirmed have signed up to play in the tournament, with two extra players set to be announced later as wildcard picks. Now, it has been claimed that 2024 WNBA MVP Wilson was offered more than the purported $1 million promised to Clark to compete.
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Both players eventually turned down the opportunity, but a report from Sports Business Journal suggests that the two stars were offered different amounts to take part. A source told the outlet: “I believe they did offer more [than Clark], because I know what they offered A’ja.
“They have a lot of money, and they offered her a lot of money. And I was even just like, ‘Oh, you sure you don’t want to do this?’ But I also understand she really values her offseason. And that’s where she has risen her game. If you haven’t noticed, she’s come back with adding something in her game every season. And that’s where it happens is in the offseason.”
Clark, who played back-to-back seasons in the NCAA and WNBA competitions in recent times, appeared to be embracing a break from basketball ahead of the offseason. Ahead of the Fever’s final playoff game of 2024, she told ESPN’s Ryan Ruocco said, “We talked to Caitlin Clark earlier today. She said she almost definitely will not play basketball this offseason. So it is likely we will not see her play again until April.”
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Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces have both reportedly turned down the chance to take part (
Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, the 22-year-old point guard also hinted at her eventual appearance in the Annika pro-am on the LPGA Tour, followed by her participation in the PGA Tour’s RSM Classic pro-am. Speaking about her offseason plans, the avid golfer said: “I was focused on beating the Connecticut Sun, I haven’t thought too far down the line.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do tomorrow, I don’t know what I’m going to do the next day. Maybe play some golf. That’s what I’m going to do until it becomes too cold in Indiana. I’ll become a professional golfer.”
Still, Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell has insisted that Clark remains on the competion’s radar for the future. Collier’s husband told Sportico: “We’re always going to have a roster spot for Caitlin Clark. We’re not applying a full-court press the way people think.
“We are letting her decompress from basketball. She knows that we have a spot for her when she’s ready. [I’m] proud of what we’ve built, and we’re in a position to succeed. But if she played, she would take it to another level. She knows we would love to have her.”
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