Caitlin Clark’s rookie season ended with record-breaking ESPN viewership, highlighting the immense impact the Indiana Fever star has. Although she announced in October that she would be taking the offseason to spend time with loved ones and play golf, many hoped she might change her mind and join the 3×3 Unrivaled league in January. However, this did not happen. Neither the $1 million financial bonanza nor the less popular personal connection could entice Clark to join the league.

A few weeks ago, Unrivaled named Clare Duwelius its first Executive Vice President and General Manager. She moved from the Minnesota Lynx, where she had just completed her 11th season, including her second year as General Manager after her promotion from Assistant General Manager in 2022. Though now a key figure in management, Duwelius began her career as a player, and it’s this early connection to basketball that links her to the reigning ROTY.

The Unrivaled GM, is originally from Des Moines, Iowa — the same hometown as Clark. Additionally, both Duwelius and Clark attended Dowling Catholic High School, with Duwelius, now 35-years-old, being there first. Duwelius was a four-year letterman and three-year starter in basketball, also competing in softball and track.

In her senior year, Duwelius earned second-team All-State honors from the Iowa Newspaper Association and third-team All-State recognition from the Iowa Girls Coaches Association. Clark, also a Dowling Catholic High School alum from West Des Moines, Iowa, was named a McDonald’s All-American and ranked as the fourth-best player in her class by ESPN.

This shared connection to Dowling ties both the Fever’s #22 and Unrivaled GM, but it seems like nothing could persuade Clark to accept the million-dollar offer.

Earlier this week, ESPN’s Michael Voepel shared that Clark wouldn’t be joining the league for its inaugural season as per sources with knowledge on the situation. Days later, Coolier’s husband and Unrivaaled President, Alex Bazell confirmed the news. “We hope to see her next year. She won’t be playing this year,” he said on the Ringer WNBA show.

Unrivaled million dollar offer that fell short to lure Caitlin Clark

Even though the original roster for the Unrivaled League was set at 30 players, founders Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart decided to expand it to 36. Collier revealed that the league’s financial success had exceeded expectations, making this expansion possible. But beyond the numbers, it was clear that Unrivaled had one major target in mind: Caitlin Clark.

Rumor had it that Caitlin Clark’s offer from Unrivaled was nothing short of “Messi-like,” and it was easy to see why. The deal reportedly included a $1 million base salary, equity in the league, a performance-based bonus, and a share of media rights revenue. With TNT also teaming up with Unrivaled, this could have led to a truly historic payday for Clark, making it one of the most enticing offers in the sports world!

“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. She’s getting paid like $75,000 a year so uh definitely we want to be a part of that change,” the league’s co-founder Collier had said earlier which reflected the eagerness of Unrivaled committee to have Clark on board.

Despite the enticing offer from Unrivaled, Caitlin Clark, the Fever guard, had shown some hesitation about joining the league. She kept herself busy with various offseason activities, and her reluctance to dive into the 3×3 format suggested it simply wasn’t her style of play.