Sportico recently dropped a basketball truth, confirming what everyone already knew. Caitlin Clark was the only basketball player who cracked the list of highest-paid female athletes in 2025. She even moved four spots up since 2024, sitting at a decent $16.1 million, despite being limited to just thirteen games.

The WNBA’s share of that? A tiny $119,000. However, Clark, with her popularity, doesn’t need to rely on the league. And, perhaps, just like that, she doesn’t need to sign with the emerging offseason leagues.

Robin Lundberg pointed out this very fact in his recent YouTube video. “Caitlin doesn’t have the need, the financial need to play in any other leagues. She’s making so much money off the court in endorsements.” Lundberg explained.

Well, yes. After all, she jumped five million in a year, after signing new partnerships with Ascension St. Vincent and Stanley.

Clark’s choices over the last couple of years paint a pretty clear picture. She’s already turned down Unrivaled twice. After her rookie season, they put a $1 million offer on the table, plus equity, for a quick three-month stint, and she still walked away. She didn’t need the extra exposure, and she wasn’t chasing another offseason grind.

Project B came next. The league launches in 2026 and has already added two of her 2025 teammates, Sophie Cunningham and Kelsey Mitchell. Clark, though, passed again, even with massive contracts floating around. Players are being pitched seven-figure salaries starting around $2 million a year, with multi-year deals stretching into eight figures, along with equity shares just like Unrivaled.

Cunningham actually let slip a bit of their conversation, and it pretty much sums things up.

On the December 4 episode of her Show Me Something podcast, she admitted she tried to recruit Clark to Project B.

“This [league] offers a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot of money. And that’s why people are, like, moving towards this.” But then she added the part that matters most: “Here’s the thing: All these leagues are great. But if you don’t have the W[NBA], you don’t have the platform. So you don’t have the eyes, you don’t have the recognition,” Cunningham began.

Her co-host, West Wilson, chimed in jokingly: “That’s right, Caitlin Clark! You have the W!”

And Cunningham closed the story with the simplest summary: “I tried to get [Clark] to play in this [league], and she was like, ‘No!’”

Lundberg also added that Clark’s commitment to helping the WNBA grow was another key factor in her decision.

“Caitlin Clark has said for the longest time it is her dream to grow the WNBA and have it be a place little girls want to play,” he noted.

There were reports last year that Ice Cube had a $5 million deal lined up for Caitlin Clark to join the Big3. The league’s own site mentions that she was offered that figure for an eight-game stint in April 2024. And if she had committed to the full ten-week run, the number reportedly jumped to $15 million.

That’s a pretty lucrative deal, and she’d have earned much more than the $11 million she earned in 2024. However, Clark’s reason not to participate was all about priorities. Since the BIG3 season runs alongside the WNBA schedule, signing on would’ve created a direct conflict for Clark during her rookie year.

However, amidst all this, let’s not forget that Clark needs at least this offseason to rest and rehab properly. So, that’s another major reason. “But more than anything, I think my main focus is really just getting my body healthy,” Clark had said in November.

Still, Clark won’t be entirely away from basketball action this offseason.

Aliyah Boston shares Caitlin Clark’s short but telling take on Fever-team USA reunion

Indiana Fever fans have been waiting months to see Caitlin Clark back in action. Her last game was on July 15 against the Connecticut Sun, when a groin injury sidelined her for the remainder of the 2025 season.

Although clips of her at Fever practices surfaced online, it wasn’t the same as watching her compete at full speed. Since Clark had opted out of Unrivaled and other offseason leagues, most assumed she wouldn’t play again until the 2026 WNBA season, until it was announced on November 24 that she would join the USA Basketball Women’s National Team training camp in Durham, North Carolina, from December 12–14.

Clark won’t be alone. Her teammate Aliyah Boston is also on the roster, and Indiana coach Stephanie White will be an assistant. On the December 3 episode of her Post Moves podcast with Candace Parker, Boston talked about reuniting with Clark at the camp.

“I think anytime you get a chance to really play with USA, it’s just a great opportunity. So honestly, I’m just excited to hoop, hoop a little bit before I go to Unrivaled,” Boston began.

“[I get to] see my girl Caitlin. I was like, ‘Hey girl, see you soon!’ [Clark] was like, ‘See you soon!'” she added.

It remains to be seen whether their chemistry can strengthen their chances of making Team USA for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.