The Big Lead

Caitlin Clark reportedly won't join Unrivaled

By Joe Lago

Sep 13, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) celebrates while on defense Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Las Vegas Aces on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Aces defeated the Fever, 78-74. Mandatory Credit: Grace Smith/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
Sep 13, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) celebrates while on defense Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, during a game between the Indiana Fever and the Las Vegas Aces on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Aces defeated the Fever, 78-74. Mandatory Credit: Grace Smith/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images / Grace Smith/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
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Unrivaled, the new women's basketball league set to make a splash in January, will have plenty of WNBA star power in its debut season.

It just won't have Caitlin Clark's superstardom.

RELATED: Caitlin Clark is playing more golf, this time on the PGA Tour

According to ESPN's Michael Voepel, Clark will not play in the 3-on-3 league in its inaugural campaign, turning down a contract that reportedly was packed with lucrative incentives similar to Lionel Messi's mega deal with Major League Soccer.

On Wednesday, Unrivaled released the rosters for its six-team league, filling 34 of the 36 roster spots. Two wild cards were left open, conceivably for Clark, the WNBA Rookie of the Year, and A'ja Wilson, the league MVP.

Unrivaled will feature WNBA All-Stars and Team USA members won won gold in last summer's Paris Olympics, but Clark would've been the star attraction for casual hoops fans to tune in to the league's games on TNT.

Clark said she was unsure about playing basketball in the WNBA offseason after a nonstop schedule that began with the start of the 2023-24 college basketball season at Iowa. She's also keeping her promise of playing a lot of golf. She competed in her second pro-am event in two weeks after making a surprise appearance at the PGA Tour's RSM Classic on Wednesday.

It appears golf will be Clark's main focus for now, at least until she begins her offseason training for her second WNBA season.

For Unrivaled, Clark's rejection has to be painful. However, the league can't be faulted for giving its best shot at landing one of the biggest basketball stars in the world.

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