Last week, Front Office Sports revealed that the new Unrivaled basketball league is going all-in on an effort to recruit Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, with the goal of making her the face of its inaugural season. As one of the biggest rising stars in basketball, landing Clark would be a monumental win for the league in terms of TV ratings, merchandise sales, and overall visibility, giving Unrivaled a powerful launch into the professional sports world.
Clark, fresh off her Rookie of the Year campaign in the WNBA, is one of the most marketable athletes in the world. According to SportsPro, she ranks as the fourth-most marketable athlete globally, trailing only behind Simone Biles, Vinicius Junior, and LeBron James, and sitting just ahead of soccer legend Lionel Messi.
This positioning speaks volumes about her potential impact on any sports league she joins.
New details have emerged about Unrivaled’s aggressive plan to woo Clark, with a report from Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports likening the offer to the extraordinary deal that brought Lionel Messi to Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2023.
Much like Messi’s historic deal with Inter Miami CF, which included an unprecedented $150 million contract, a partial ownership stake, and revenue-sharing agreements with companies like Apple, Unrivaled is prepared to make a similarly sweeping offer to Clark.
“The new Unrivaled women’s basketball league is considering a sweeping ‘Lionel Messi-like’ offer to entice Caitlin Clark to play in the league’s inaugural season,” McCarthy reported. The league understands that a standard salary won’t be enough to lure the biggest star in women’s basketball. Instead, they’re crafting a package designed to appeal to both Clark’s financial interests and her desire to make a broader impact on the sport.
While the details are still being finalized, sources suggest that Unrivaled could offer Clark a salary of $1 million for just two months of play. By comparison, Clark earned $76,535 during her Rookie of the Year season in the WNBA—a fraction of what the startup league is proposing. Even the highest-paid players in the WNBA will make just $249,032 in 2025, making Unrivaled’s offer far more lucrative.
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In addition to the significant financial incentive, the season structure itself may be appealing to Clark. Unrivaled will run for only eight weeks, beginning in January, with a shortened schedule compared to the demanding WNBA season that runs from May to September, including a 42-game slate and an Olympic break.
If Clark were to join, she could cash a million-dollar paycheck for a fraction of the workload, all while maintaining her status in the WNBA.
The report also indicates that Unrivaled is considering offering players equity in the league, a strategy that mirrors Messi’s ownership stake in Inter Miami.
Should Clark sign with the league, she would likely become its highest-paid player, with a financial package that could reshape the landscape of women’s professional basketball.
“Players will be paid on a sliding scale,” McCarthy added. “The bigger their stardom, the bigger their social media following, the more players will earn. By that standard, there’s no bigger draw than Clark, who drives TV ratings like no athlete since Tiger Woods.” With her massive fanbase and undeniable star power, Clark’s addition to Unrivaled would instantly elevate the league’s profile and attract both fans and sponsors.
The potential deal for Clark is about more than just money. It reflects a growing movement in women’s sports to provide athletes with the kind of financial and equity opportunities that have long been standard for their male counterparts.
Unrivaled is positioning itself as a league that can provide both high salaries and the chance to shape the future of the sport—an offer that could be hard for Clark, or any top athlete, to refuse.
As Unrivaled prepares for its debut season, securing a superstar like Caitlin Clark would not only give the league instant credibility but also set a new standard for how women’s athletes are compensated and valued.
Whether or not Clark takes the offer remains to be seen, but her decision could have ripple effects across the world of women’s basketball and beyond.
