Will Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin be a part of new WNBA offseason 3×3 basketball league?

Unequalled Basketball League is ready to launch in January, and it’s shaping as much as be fairly epic. For the primary time, the WNBA’s largest stars have the choice of staying and enjoying in the usduring the offseason fairly than going abroad, because of Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. The UConn duo is launching a brand new 3×3 basketball league that may happen in Miami for 8 weeks throughout the winter, providing a $150,000 base wage, possession fairness, and plenty of different distinctive components, together with a one-on-one match with a $250,000 money prize.

The massive query up to now has been who’s enjoying. The league has had some enjoyable with the rollout, teasing the names of individuals by offering clues on-line and revealing a brand new star each couple of days. That’s helped enhance consideration and buzz across the league, fueling numerous hypothesis relating to who’s in and who’s out.

What we do know is that there’s going to be 30 ladies’s basketball stars partaking within the inaugural 12 months, which shall be comprised of six groups made up of 5 gamers every. To date, the names of 15 WNBA stars have been revealed: Allisha Grey (Dream), Angel Reese (Sky), Arike Ogunbowale (Wings), Breanna Stewart (Liberty), Chelsea Grey (Aces), Dearica Hamby (Sparks), Jackie Younger (Aces), Jewell Loyd (Storm), Kahleah Copper (Mercury), Kayla McBride (Lynx), Kelsey Plum (Aces), Marina Mabrey (Solar), Napheesa Collier (Lynx), Rhyne Howard (Dream), and Satou Sabally (Wings).

Notably absent from that checklist are 12 All-Stars from the 2024 season: DeWanna Bonner (Solar), Brionna Jones (Solar), Jonquel Jones (Liberty), Kelsey Mitchell (Fever), Nneka Ogwumike (Storm), Brittney Griner (Mercury), Sabrina Ionescu (Liberty), Diana Taurasi (Mercury), Alyssa Thomas (Solar), A’ja Wilson (Aces), Caitlin Clark (Fever), and Aliyah Boston (Fever).

A few of these are more likely to play (I’d put my cash on A’ja Wilson and Sabrina Ionescu) whereas others are extra probably to make use of the time to relaxation (I’d think about that 42-year-old Diana Taurasi and 37-year-old DeWanna Bonner take a look at the winter as an opportunity for offseason restoration).

Will Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin, Cameron Brink play in Unequalled?

Napheesa Collier, one of many league’s co-founders, has already confirmed that 4 rookies will take part in Unequalled. To date, just one — Angel Reese — has been revealed, and earlier this month, she defined why she selected to play.

“Having the ability to be in Miami from January to March, not having to go abroad,” Reese stated. “No person needs to go abroad. Loads of us by no means wanna should go abroad, however some folks do should go abroad sadly, so with the ability to make six figures inside three months, with the ability to be housed in Miami, simply with the ability to get higher.

“Having the ability to know two nice gamers which might be beginning one thing, I believe it’s wonderful. 3-on-3 is one thing that I like to do, I haven’t been capable of play competitively however I believe I can work on a few of my particular person expertise as a result of 3-on-3 exposes every little thing. So I’m excited for it.”

For sure, from a advertising standpoint, Caitlin Clark could be an enormous draw alongside Reese. Clark has helped deliver unprecedented consideration to the WNBA this 12 months, leads the league in jersey gross sales, and has starred in practically each recreation this season that’s topped viewership data. It wouldn’t be shocking if Clark is slated to be the final participant introduced to be partaking in Unequalled, and it’d be considerably of a letdown if the rollout ended with out her announcement.

Clark hasn’t indicated whether or not or not she’s planning on taking part, and it’s definitely believable she’ll need to relaxation throughout the WNBA offseason contemplating how a lot of a dash it’s been from school proper into the professionals.

“Actually, I’m simply targeted on this proper now,” she advised reporters final week at apply. “One factor at a time. Can’t all the time simply be shifting on to the subsequent. My focus is correct right here.”

From a basketball standpoint, the greatest rookies this season have been Clark and Reese. The subsequent tier of first-year standouts has included Rickea Jackson, Aaliyah Edwards, and Kamilla Cardoso, and Cameron Brink could be up there too, if it weren’t for a season-ending achilles damage. Brink’s probably out of competition to take part within the first 12 months of Unequalled contemplating the actual fact she gained’t be recovered in time to play in January.

First-year gamers Leonie Fiebich, Julie Vanloo, and Sevgi Uzun have all been stable, too, however as worldwide gamers, they’re a lot much less more likely to need to keep within the U.S. 12 months spherical, and have extra loyalty to their worldwide golf equipment. In addition they don’t supply the identical title recognition as the opposite gamers within the area.

So, the three different rookies taking part in Unequalled in its inaugural 12 months are probably going to be some mixture of Clark, Jackson, Edwards, and Cardoso. Jackson’s been elite this 12 months and has definitely earned the spot along with her on-court play, and Edwards and Cardoso have each steadily improved this season.

Photograph by Steph Chambers/Getty Photographs

Kate Martin can also be a reputation that must be thought-about. Whereas Martin has had a smaller on-court position than the opposite gamers talked about, from a advertising standpoint, she’d be an enormous get. Her jersey is already the fourth-highest promoting jersey within the league this 12 months, and Unequalled is incentivized to herald the league’s hottest gamers as they get the idea off the bottom.

Plus, Martin is teammates with Aces guards Chelsea Grey, Jackie Younger, and Kelsey Plum, all of whom have been revealed as Unequalled individuals, so it’s very doable they veterans offered her on the thought of taking part. The trio of Olympians have all praised Martin for her maturity and well-rounded play this 12 months.

When requested about her offseason plans by reporter Owen Siebring, Martin cryptically stated: “I’ve plans. I’m simply not sharing them but.”

Within the coming weeks, because the rollout continues, we’ll study which rookies we’ll see in Miami in January, and whether or not Iowa stars Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin make the lower. For now, we’ll should await extra hints from Unequalled’s official social media accounts.