Caitlin Clark receives huge ‘Lionel Messi-like’ offer to play in new basketball league
Caitlin Clark could be swayed into competing in next year's Unrivaled Women's Basketball League, with a huge seven-figure offer inspired by Lionel Messi's Inter Miami contract
The new Unrivaled Women’s Basketball League is hoping to entice WNBA star Caitlin Clark to play in its 2025 inaugural season by offering the Indiana Fever guard a Lionel Messi-like deal.
According to Front Office Sports, the league could offer Clark north of $1 million to compete, which is over 1,200 times bigger than her WNBA rookie wage of $76,535 per season, as well as a stake in Unrivaled. The league is hoping that in just three months of work in the WNBA offseason, Clark could have a similar impact to what Messi did with Inter Miami and MLS with ticket sales, TV ratings, and advertisers.
Messi signed an unprecedented deal to join Miami, which included a contract valued at $150m, partial future ownership, and other financial incentives, such as a share of revenue from Apple TV’s MLS Pass. The Unrivaled Women’s Basketball League may be further encouraged to aggressively pursue Clark’s participation, with the 22-year-old rated as the fourth-most marketable athlete in the world, per SportsPro.
Unrivaled will tip off in Miami in January 2025, and the 3-on-3 league will run across eight weeks, including playoffs. The Sunshine State’s weather during the winter could be an added incentive for Clark to compete instead of bracing the cold of Iowa.
Being paid over $1m may seem like a drop in the ocean compared to other athletes, such as Messi, and the NBA’s LeBron James, who’ll take home $48.7m this season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
However, Clark has raked in large sums off the court in sponsorships and endorsements, having signed an eight-year, $28m deal with sports clothing brand Nike.
Reports previously suggested that Clark had turned down the offer to play in the Unrivaled League, which would see her compete with longtime rival, Angel Reese. Clark already has a packed offseason schedule, including participating in the LPGA’s The Annika at Pelican Golf Club in Florida next month.
Unrivaled is looking at offering Clark a Messi-inspired offer to play (
“I love golf, so the opportunity to play in the pro-am for a tournament with a legend like Annika Sorenstam’s name on it is so exciting,” Clark said in a press release.
“Gainbridge is a leader in supporting women’s sports, and that’s clear through their commitment to me, this event, Billie Jean King, and Parity Week.
“I’m looking forward to seeing all the LPGA players on the driving range, being part of the Women’s Leadership Summit, and, of course, teeing it up in the pro-am with Annika.”
