Fresh details have surfaced regarding Unrivaled’s pursuit of Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark this WNBA offseason.
The 3-on-3 startup women’s basketball league is contemplating offering Clark a “Lionel Messi-like” deal to play in its inaugural season in January, according to Front Office Sports.
Unrivaled was reportedly gearing up for a strong effort to entice Clark to join the league in the United States, which has already brought in WNBA stars like Kelsey Plum, Arike Ogunbowale, and Angel Reese. The league prides itself on providing generous salaries to its 30 players (the average salary is said to be $250,000), but in the case of recruiting the Indiana Fever guard, Unrivaled seems willing to go above and beyond.
Unrivaled is prepared to offer Clark “everything from a potentially over $1 million salary for less than three months of work, to equity and revenue sharing,” as per FOS. It is important to note that all players in the women’s league will have equity opportunities.
When Inter Miami successfully brought global soccer icon Lionel Messi to the MLS in 2023, the club made a groundbreaking move by not only offering Messi a $150 million contract but also partial ownership, shared revenue from Apple’s MLS Season Pass, and other financial incentives.
It should not be surprising that Clark is being treated like a superstar, considering both she and Messi have “Effects” named after them due to their significant impacts in their respective sports leagues.
Clark, who is set to earn $338,056 over her first four seasons with the Fever, has also secured lucrative deals off the court, including a $28 million agreement with Nike and sponsorships with State Farm, Gatorade, Wilson, and other brands.
