Hip Hop mogul, actor and film producer Ice Cube is a busy and very successful man. When he isn’t writing or directing movies, the former member of hit rap group N.W.A is running his Big3 basketball league. The league debuted in 2017, and consists of 12 teams that feature former NBA and international players.
While they’ve struggled to turn a profit since its inception, Ice Cube and co-owner Jeff Kwatinetz have gone from a traveling road show to more of a home-based model approach. That allows more fan and community engagement. They also began selling team ownerships, and in all the duo have turned the league into a $10 million franchise. In an attempt to generate lucrative revenue and garner more attention in 2024, the “Today Was A Good Day” emcee offered Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark $5 million to join his league and not the WNBA, it has been widely purported.
Cube Explains Why Clark And Not Reese
While the aforementioned Clark was flattered, reports claim she quickly declined. Good news for the WNBA, which upon Clark’s arrival immediately saw a rise in the league’s revenue, viewership, merchandising, sponsorships and more. That’s what Cube was trying to do the Big3, and Clark could have been the just the one to do it.
Speaking with TMZ Sports over the weekend, the “We Be Clubbin” rapper didn’t hold back on why he offered Clark and not Chicago Sky star Angel Reese a deal. Cube said he wouldn’t have gotten the same financial backing from sponsors for Resse as he would’ve gotten for Clark, the former Iowa sniper.
“She’s a great player. The thing with Caitlin Clark, it was just to unlock millions of dollars for the league because of her stardom, what our sponsors was telling us,” the rapper said. “They didn’t tell us the same thing about Angel Reese. So I don’t know if we can make that same offer.”
“I don’t think we can make that same offer because it won’t have the same impact to the league.”
No sugarcoating from Cube, just straightforward answers that have become obvious. No one in the WNBA moves the meter like the reigning Rookie of the Year.
Clark Could’ve Made 50 Times More Than Current WNBA Salary
If Clark, the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer, man or woman, with 3,952 points, had actually taken Cube up on the offer she would be making 50 times than the paltry $76,535 she made her rookie season. But, there was no need to, as she’s raked in endorsements from the likes of Nike ($28 million deal) Wilson Sporting Goods, Gatorade and State Farm. In all Clark’s endorsements bag is huge and the earnings are pretty steep.
Reese Marketable But Polarizing
While Reese has her share of quality endorsements as well from Reebok, Beats By Dre, PlayStation, McDonald’s and Raising Cane’s to name a few, she’s the most polarizing player in the WNBA. Despite that, the sponsors that deal with the Big3 obviously are only interested in having Clark sign on for mega bucks.
WNBA Saw Huge Jump In Viewership Last Season
Clark’s arrival did for the WNBA what Cube wants to see happen in the Big 3. In 2024, the WNBA experienced its most-watched season in league history with 54 million unique viewers across the following outlet ABC, CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, ION and NBA TV.
It also set a single-game attendance record of 20,711 for a Sept. 19 game between the Fever and Washington Mystics.
Ice Cube didn’t become extremely successful business mogul we see today from making impulsive decisions, and the way he talks about offering Reese after Clark declined would’ve been just that.
