Caitlin Clark may have passed on a multimillion-dollar opportunity from Ice Cube’s BIG3 league, but Angel Reese won’t be stepping in as a backup option.
The Indiana Fever star was reportedly offered an eye-popping $15 million to join the 3-on-3 men’s basketball league, co-founded by rapper Ice Cube and Jeff Kwatinetz. Despite the enormous deal, Clark never ended up joining the league and reports even suggest the offer never formally reached her.
After failing to secure Clark, some speculated the BIG3 might pivot to her biggest rival, Angel Reese, who also plays in the WNBA. But Ice Cube quickly shut down that idea in a recent chat with TMZ, delivering a clear snub to the Chicago Sky forward.
The rapper said it wasn’t a personal knock on Reese’s talent, but explained that the league didn’t see her as offering the same commercial upside as Clark. According to him, league sponsors were confident that bringing in Clark would have significantly boosted revenue. That same enthusiasm, however, did not extend to Reese.
“They didn’t tell us the same thing about Angel Reese,” Cube told TMZ. “I don’t know if we can make that same offer.”
The initial offer to Clark, as reported by Bleacher Report, would have made her the first woman to play in a North American men’s professional basketball league. The deal included a $10 million salary over two years, part ownership in a team valued in the millions, 50 percent of revenue from merchandise using her name and image, and a share of a BIG3 documentary with a seven-figure upfront payment.
Founded in 2017, the BIG3 league still trails in popularity behind the WNBA and is far from matching the NBA’s reach. Still, Ice Cube expressed pride in the league’s direction, especially with the 2025 season underway.
“We got some great players,” he said. “Lance Stephenson, Dwight Howard. Wesley Johnson’s been great, Montrezl Harrell’s been great. The league has been must-see TV for sure.”
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