Did Unrivaled expand because of Caitlin Clark? After the 30-player pool was filled up, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier’s league decided to expand to 36 as they managed to surpass the financial projections. But Clark is still missing. The Indiana Fever guard has been busy in the off-season playing golf, and it isn’t sure whether she will take up another offer to play in the 3X3 league after having rejected Ice Cube’s proposal to play in the Big 3. But fans need not lose hope so quickly since chances are high that Clark might still take up the offer due to sharing a link with Collier.

On Saturday’s episode of her own podcast, Rachel DeMita shed light on the secret link between Clark and Collier, the co-founder of the league. And that thrilled every CC fan who wants the ROTY to play in the Miami-based league.

“Now something I’ve also realized recently is that Caitlin and Napheesa Collier have the same agent. Does that necessarily mean that they both will be doing the same things? No. But it does mean that they have more of a direct line of communication than Caitlin might with some other players,” DeMita stated. For the unversed, Erin Kane of Excel Sports is the common agent for both.

According to reports, the Fever guard has been offered a $1 million deal by Unrivaled. Other than that, she will get a part in equity, and revenue sharing in the media rights. Plus, she would also be given a bonus if she joined the league. While her contract might resemble that of Lionel Messi, the generational player hasn’t yet responded to these rumors or made up her mind regarding the decision.

“Now, Napheesa being one of the co-founders of this league… that would be, you know… she’s in the family. They’re in the family together. They have the same agent so there’s an easy line of communication and I’m sure the negotiations between Unrivaled and Caitlin are going to go a lot more smoothly when it’s kind of an ‘All in the Family’ type deal.”

“So I wonder if that comes into play at all with Caitlin’s decision or how much money that they can get out of it or what that kind of business looks like,” DeMita further added in her podcast. Beyond money, there are some other factors that the league is cleverly playing out to lure Clark.

And perhaps, that’s the reason she has been recruiting Clark’s close friends, including Aliyah Boston, Kate Martin, and Lexie Hull. While Kate Martin, the 27th signee, played with Clark as an Iowa Hawkeyes, the 29th signee Lexie Hull is Clark’s friend and teammate from the Indiana Fever. But in the past, DeMita had questioned if it makes sense for Clark to play in the league.

DeMita had pointed out that Clark had a hectic schedule with the WNBA. The rookie almost had a nonstop run since Iowa’s first game of the 2023-24 season last November until the Indiana Fever was eliminated from the WNBA playoffs in late September. She only had a break of three weeks between the NCAA Women’s Final Four and the start of the Fever’s training camp, and then another three and a half weeks off for the Paris Olympics break. Not only that, but she was continuously under the prying eyes of the media and the fans.

So DeMita thought it was only logical for Clark to take a break from all these. “that just had to have been so much to handle, and so I don’t know if jumping right back into another league that has not been established yet,” DeMita had said. Indeed, Clark is making the best use of the off-season. She is playing in the pro-am at the LPGA Tour’s The Annika on Nov. 13 with Annika Sorenstam. However, DeMita agreed that the money that Unrivaled is reportedly offering is a much better deal that Clark’s WNBA earning.

Moreover, Clark is immensely passionate about her sport. So DeMita had stated that though the league is new and there can be a risk of injury for Clark, the point guard is “a psycho. She loves basketball. She has that Mamba mentality.” According to her, she might find it difficult to completely divert her focus from basketball even when not on the floor, just like the NBA great Kobe Bryant and may end up accepting the offer from Unrivaled. In the meantime, Clark, to date, did not have a direct answer for this.

In the middle of the season, Clark was asked about it. “Honestly, I’m just focused on this (the playoffs) right now,” came her reply. On one more occasion, she had even expressed WNBA was the mainstay for her. “Honestly, I’m just focused on this right now. One thing at a time. Can’t always just be moving on to the next, my focus is right here,” Clark had said ClutchPoints’ Matthew Byrne in August. However, amid all the suspense, Collier looked excited at the possibility of the former NCAA Queen joining her league.

Napheesa Collier shares why Caitlin Clark deserves Unrivaled

Unrivaled will debut its inaugural season in January next year. Since the league is new, Phee knows the value Clark will bring to the table, if drafted. In her debut WNBA season, the league has grown tremendously, with the Fever’s projected revenue being 889% more than that of the previous year. While in 2023 they had just $9.1 million in revenue, this season they were projected to make $90 million. But does that translate to her paycheck? Probably not.

The Indiana Fever drafted Clark in 2024 as their first overall pick on a $338,056/4-year contract. In her rookie year, she made $76,535, which is quite less when compared to the benefits the Unrivaled is reportedly offering her. Because Collier thinks Clark deserves the hike.

During an appearance on FanDuel’s “Run It Back” show, Collier openly stated the need for a better pay for Clark. “It’s just so crazy because the growth that Caitlin has brought to the game, the sheer amount of money that she’s making these teams, people are having to move their venues for when she comes to play,” Collier said

“And she’s getting paid like $75,000 a year [by the WNBA]. So definitely we want to be a part of that change, and that’s what we’re doing. I think she deserves that, I think she should be one of the top [paid] players in the world just for the sheer numbers she’s bringing,” the 2024 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year added.

For context, Sports Business Journal reported that out of 22 games that crossed 1 million viewers, 19 had Indiana’s participation. Therefore, it would be an understatement that Clark has benefitted the W. Hence, it looks as if Phee & Co. would be going for Clark. And perhaps more of it will be clear when either the founders or Clark are questioned on it. There’s no denying that the W’s single-season assists record holder will bring in more audience to the league.