INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark doesn’t want to set her offseason plans in stone just yet.
The WNBA offseason runs from around October to April, and it can fluctuate depending on how far teams get in the playoffs. Because of the lower salaries in the WNBA, it isn’t uncommon for players to head to Europe or Asia to earn more money playing overseas. Other players, like the Fever’s Aliyah Boston, have become TV analysts for college games in their downtime.
Coming up this offseason, there’s a new option: Unrivaled. Co-founded by Paris gold medalists Lynx forward Napheesa Collier and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart, the new 3×3 league will tip off January 2025 with 30 of the top players from the WNBA.
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In a tweet last week, Collier said there will be at least four rookies playing in the new league in Miami this winter. Angel Reese is already confirmed to be one of them, and Unrivaled is revealing players day-by-day — 11 have been announced so far.
Clark would be considered one of the best 30 players in the WNBA, even at this early point in her career. The 2024 No. 1 pick is leading the league with 8.2 assists per game, third with 71 3-pointers made and is 13th with 17.1 points per game.
On Tuesday afternoon, Clark didn’t confirm nor deny if she’s going to play in Unrivaled this offseason.
“I’m just focused on this right now,” Clark said, referring to the Fever’s season. “One thing at a time. Can’t always be moving onto the next, my focus is right here.”
Collier and Stewart founded the league for players who still want to make more money and keep up on their basketball skills in the WNBA offseason, but don’t want to go overseas. Clark doesn’t necessarily need the money — her lucrative endorsement deals with Nike, State Farm, Gatorade and other major brands eclipse her $75,000 yearly salary from the WNBA. Her shoe deal with Nike alone is reported to be $28 million over eight years (roughly $3.5 million a year).
If Clark decides to join Unrivaled, it would likely be more for her to brush up on her basketball skills and play live games during the offseason.
How will Unrivaled work?
Unrivaled will be a six-team league with five players on each team playing 3×3. The teams will be picked by a selection committee to ensure it is split by position and skill, Collier said on X.
It will be a new type of 3×3, though, with a 70-foot-by-50 foot court, four quarters, a game clock and a shot clock. Olympic and FIBA 3×3 games are 10 minutes total, with a 12-second shot clock.
It will be an eight-week season, starting in January 2025. After six weeks of round-robin play, the top four teams will have a two-week postseason. There will also be a 1v1 tournament throughout the season, and Collier said whoever is deemed the best individual player in the world will win a minimum of $250,000.
According to the Unrivaled website, the league will have the highest average salaries in women’s sports history, and all players will also receive equity in the league.
