The new women’s basketball league “Unrivaled” is set to begin its inaugural season in January and is hopeful to get Caitlin Clark.

The Indiana Fever star is getting attention following her impressive rookie year in the WNBA. Because of her popularity, the new 3-on-3 basketball league is determined to sign her before the season starts.

Front Office Sports’ Michael McCarthy claimed Tuesday that Unrivaled is willing to make a deal akin to the one that soccer star Lionel Messi got. In 2023, Inter Miami of Major League Soccer launched an attempt to sign Messi. A $150 million contract, partial ownership, and other financial incentives were part of the deal.

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According to McCarthy’s report, Unrivaled is prepared to provide Clark stock, income share, and more than $1 million. The league hopes that having the Fever star could help them get noticed and increase ticket sales and viewership.

However, journalist Roberta Rodrigues isn’t high on Clark getting offered a deal similar to Messi. On X (formerly Twitter), Rodrigues shot down the proposal on Wednesday and claimed that she didn’t have the stardom that the soccer star has.

“CC is not nearly close to Messi. If Unrivaled stand for fairness, then that’s a big miss. Either offer all players the same contract or be transparent about why some are different than others,” Rodrigues said.

Unrivaled has announced 26 out of the potential 30 players they need at the start of the first season. Unfortunately, Clark hasn’t finalized a deal with the league yet. Other WNBA stars, like Clark’s rival Angel Reese, have committed to the start-up league.

The new league was founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier.

Also read: Cheryl Reeve credits Caitlin Clark hype for drawing new factions of Lynx supporters: “The buzz was palpable”

Caitlin Clark will earn more with Unrivaled
In her debut season in the WNBA, Caitlin Clark made $76,535 in salary. The top guard is being lured by Unrivaled to accept a $1 million contract that would allow her to earn the money in less than three months. The league, including playoffs, will begin play in January and last for eight weeks.

Clark is expected to make more money in the start-up league than she will in the WNBA over the course of four seasons. Over her first four seasons, the former Iowa standout is expected to make $338,056.

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Unrivaled promises their players to have the “highest salaries in professional women’s sports league history.” According to the league, players will earn based on a sliding scale, which means the more famous the player is, the more they will earn. With Clark’s stardom alone, she could be the highest-paid star.