Why Caitlin Clark Instead of Angel Reese? NBA Veteran Questions Ice Cube’s $5 Million Offer for Iowa Star

Caitlin Clark is undoubtedly slated for great things. But when Ice Cube tried to lure her away from the WNBA with a $5 million overture, people didn’t receive it too well. Gilbert Arenas and his guests on Gil’s Arena were among those who didn’t warm up to Ice Cube’s deal. Since the hip-hop mogul claims he wants to uplift female basketball athletes with his venture, Kenyon Martin questioned why hasn’t he done that before.

Gil’s Arena heavily debated Ice Cube inviting the Iowa Hawkeyes star to the BIG3, a 3-on-3  professional basketball league founded by the rapper, with WNBA pro Lexie Brown in the studio. Kenyon Martin asked, “You got the young lady [at] LSU who’s pretty popular herself in her own right,” referring to Tigers star player, Angel Reese. “Why not offer it to her?” 

Martin proceeded to question why Ice Cube didn’t offer it to Lexie or even Candace Parker, who are the reigning queens of the WNBA. Moreover, he’s concerned Caitlin Clark would not succeed in a 3v3 format in comparison to a league and it would be a waste of her talent. The #1 pick in the 2000 NBA Draft is not the only one questioning why Ice Cube made the offer after Clark declared for the 2024 WNBA draft.

O’Shea Jackson Sr. aka Ice Cube confirmed the rumors that he offered $5 million to Clark to play 10 games in the BIG3. Many didn’t take the news well because Clark, along with Angel Reese, Cameron Brink and Aaliyah Edwards, are projected as the future stars who will take WNBA to greater heights. Jackson defended his offer asserting that female athletes play overseas due to dismal WNBA salaries and he wants to change that by giving them better opportunities in the BIG3. That too rubbed a few the bad way.

Ice Cube’s son responds to Gil’s Arena

Lexie Brown expressed her true feelings about Ice Cube’s offer to Clark. Like Kenyon Martin, she too questioned the necessity to offer it to Clark over WNBA players. “He wanted to provide more opportunities for WNBA players, provide opportunities to not go overseas. So, you offer the contract to a player who is not yet in the WNBA? Big3 does not happen during overseas seasons, so, that doesn’t make sense,” Brown said on Gil’s Arena.

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The comments on Arena’s show didn’t go unheard. It was O’Shea Jackson Jr., Ice Cube’s son, who defended his dad after Brown’s comments. “You don’t know who else was offered anything,” The younger Jackson wrote on X. “You don’t know what conversations were had with others. Clark is the hottest name in women’s basketball right now. And a story got leaked because of that. Thank you for your time.”

 While he’s right that it’s unknown if other players, possibly Angel Reese too, were offered to sign with BIG3, this move does raise a few brows. But Arenas, Martin, and Brown maintain that Ice Cube is seeking a big star straight out of college for business reasons. The questions remains if Clark would consider it.

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