Unrivaled, a professional women’s 3-on-3 basketball league is set to debut in January. Despite co-founders Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier getting plenty of the top talent in the WNBA to agree to play in the upstart league, one of the most sought-after superstars has ultimately turned them down.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, arguably the face of women’s basketball, has rejected the chance to join Unrivaled, according to ESPN.
According to Ben Pickman of The Athletic, the Unrivaled league still has an open invite out for Clark should she decide she wants to participate in the inaugural season.
Thirty-four of the 36 spots in the Unrivaled league were announced on Wednesday, leaving two “wild card” roster slots left. Clark, despite much speculation, won’t be filling one of those two remaining spots, although two of her Fever teammates are set to play in the league. Aliyah Boston was announced as a member of the Vinyl, coached by Teresa Weatherspoon, while Lexie Hull is a member of the Rose, coached by Nola Henry.
There figure to be six teams in total in Unrivaled, with the entirety of the league’s games to be played in Miami. The league will kick off on Jan. 17, 2025.
Clark enjoyed a hectic year in 2024. She commanded the college basketball spotlight as she led the Iowa Hawkeyes to a national championship appearance before being selected with the No. 1 pick in the draft. She then found her footing in the WNBA and managed to lead Indiana to its first playoff appearance since 2016, while averaging 19.2 points per game. With her rookie season behind her, Clark will enjoy some much deserved down time during the offseason.
Even without Clark’s participation, Unrivaled figures to provide plenty of excitement during the WNBA offseason.
