Unrivaled Basketball League investor David Levy appeared to reveal a plan to try and sway Caitlin Clark into joining their league.
The 22-year-old has become a huge superstar in women's basketball courtesy of her incredible performances for the University of Iowa college basketball team. While she was not able to i nspire Indiana Fever to the play-off finals in her first season, her presence has helped grow the WNBA's broadcasting footprint.
However, the Iowa native appears to be determined to prove she is a person of many talents, as she is also set to compete in the upcoming Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) event in Florida next month, where she will be playing with golf legend Annika Sorenstam. Before she does strut onto the fairway, Levy may have an offer to show her.
Levy said to Front Office Sports : "If we're lucky enough to get Caitlin Clark, are we going to travel to Iowa," suggesting Unrivaled will hold an event in her home state, if she was to join the new division.
His comments were also followed up by Minnesota Lynx legend and Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier. She said: "I think we might have a couple more rookies in there [Iowa], that might be a hint."
While not revealing if an offer had been officially made for Clark, did not hide her deep respect for the talented Iowan. She added: "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.
"And she's getting paid like $75,000 a year. She should be one of the [top-paid] players in the world just for the sheer numbers she's bringing."
Clark is a basketball players, first and foremost, but she is also intent on showing her best hand on the golf course. When asked about the event in Florida, she pledged she will put her best foot forward.
Clark said: "I love golf so the opportunity to play in the Pro-Am for a tournament with a legend like Annika Sorenstam's name on it is so exciting.
"I'm looking forward to seeing all the LPGA players on the driving range, being part of the Women's Leadership Summit, and, of course, teeing it up in the pro-am with Annika."
The LPGA will be hoping the 'Caitlin Clark Effect' can also send their viewership numbers on a similar trajectory. One person who will also be keeping track of those numbers will be WNBA legend Sue Bird.
The 44-year-old has been left in awe by the commercial impact Clark has already had on women's basketball. On her podcast, A Touch More, Bird said: "Viewership numbers with Caitlin Clark are astronomical.
"She brings in all the things. We know this, we've said this. Yes, the games that she's not playing have lower viewership. The WNBA playoffs, where Caitlin's obviously not in it because her team lost are still breaking records from previous WNBA years
She added: "These numbers are still really high and still really meaningful… Yet, some people continue to flip that… Nobody ever said Caitlin wasn't gonna be a marketing gem, a unicorn."
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