It has been a big year in women’s basketball. Record attendance, record viewership, big sponsorships, everything seems to have taken a sharp spike since Caitlin Clark’s rise to fame. In the midst, is also the initiative of a 3v3 league, The Unrivaled. The newly formed league has attracted nearly every glittering name in the USA women’s basketball stratosphere, but two fan favorites were noticeably absent, A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark. But with the organization’s latest announcement, they dropped a major hint about who would acquire the last two spots. Or did they? And that uncertainty has the fans riled up.

The League revealed that a 22-minute video would air from 11 AM to 11:22 AM, showcasing the club selection. By this time, a majority of you might have guessed that 22 is the number of both the WNBA superstars Clark and Wilson. Result? A mass confusion.

When asked about her stance on joining Unrivaled, Caitlin Clark made it clear that she’s looking to take one thing at a time. But the league president was more candid about the prospect. “We’re always going to have a roster spot for Caitlin Clark. We’re not applying a full-court press the way people think. We are letting her decompress from basketball. … She knows that we have a spot for her when she’s ready,” Alex Bazzell stated.

Coming back to the present, the league’s official YouTube channel added a video that has the length of 22:28. And eagle-eyed netizens were quick to single out the 22. With the teams revealed, and the dates marked, there are still two roster spots open. Will CC take one of them? The WNBA offseason is a long time and most players look to go abroad for some extra earnings. The new 3v3 league gives the opportunity to earn six-figure checks and means to stay game-sharp.

The State Farm connection recently also spawned speculations about Clark joining the league. In case you were unaware, the Indiana Fever guard has a multi-year deal with the company that is now tied with Unrivaled. So is she finally saying yes to the offer from the Miami-based league? The fans cannot wrap their heads around it.

Caitlin Clark Fans react to Unrivaled’s 22-minute strategy

After months of anticipation, the Unrivalled announced its six teams. But in doing so, they left out 2 of the 36 players, tagging them as “wildcards.” Caitlin Clark fans, already hooked on to the coincidences after the league’s clear interest in the Fever star, weren’t thrilled with the move. “Ok, now go make a 22 minute YouTube video making it seem like Caitlin Clark joined, and then have the last 2 spots be Wildcards, because we don’t have all the players yet,” one penned.

Another shared the sentiment, believing that #22 belonging to both Wilson and Clark, one the 2024 MVP and other the 2024 ROTY, was used as a means to draw in the crowd. “Unrivaled hinting at a “22” minute video, indicating Caitlin Clark and/or A’ja Wilson. Only to realize the “22” meant absolutely nothing,” a user wrote with a sense of betrayal. 

Clark has never really expressed an obvious interest in joining the new league. The 22-year-old has previously admitted to 3v3 not being on her list. Add the fact that she wishes to use the downtime for herself, the partnership seemed a far possibility. But when the jersey resemblance to the minutes brought up spirits, fans were agitated at the seeming attempt.

“Officially am done with Unrivaled & their click bait; Caitlin Clark isn’t playing, but you guys are playing games with CCFC-Well played.” And another chimed in with, “Fans are annoyed. They’ve been trolled and wasted 22 minutes of their life.” 

The backlash was evident as another suggested that the league would be taking up measures to curb some of it by bringing in Wilson. “Unrivaled trying to ease some of the Caitlin Clark backlash by announcing A’ja at the same time. Thinking people will be happy.” But like Clark, the Las Vegas Aces icon has shown little interest in joining the league, though, she loves what it is doing for her teammates. “I will be chilling,” were her words. So Unrivaled’s ambiguity despite that doesn’t have fans on board. 

The league has previously offered Clark a contract worth more than $1 million for an eight-week season. But the 22-year-old has refrained from making any comments. As of the knowledge available now, the Unrivaled will kick off the inaugral season in January with the likes of Jewell Loyd, Natasha Cloud, Courtney Vandersloot, Chelsea Gray, Angel Reese, Arike Ogunbowale, and 30 more. 2 still mystery.