Rapper Ice Cube directed a brutal dig at Angel Reese when talking about his BIG3 basketball league.
The NWA star recently approached Caitlin Clark with an offer to play in the BIG3, with some reports claiming the Indiana Fever star was offered some $15m (£11m) to join the three-on-three league back in March 2024.
Upon Clark turning Ice Cube’s down, the rapper insisted an equivalent proposal would not be offered to Clark’s rival Reese.
Indeed, Ice Cube explained that sponsors had told him Clark would be a much bigger financial draw that the Chicago Sky forward.
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He told TMZ: "[Reese] is a great player. The thing about Caitlin Clark was that [it would bring] millions of dollars for the league because of her stardom. That’s what our sponsors were telling us.
“They didn't tell us the same thing about Angel Reese. I don't know if we can make that same offer because it won’t have the same impact on the league. It was nothing personal.”
Had Clark accepted the offer she would have become the first woman to play in a men’s North American professional basketball league.
BIG3 co-founder Jeff Kwatinetz claimed that Clark's salary would've seen her earn some $10m (£7.4m).
She would also have received a "percentage of team ownership worth millions, 50 per cent of merchandising revenues from her name and likeness, and ownership of a BIG3 documentary with a seven-figure advance."
The BIG3 was founded in 2017, and is slowly increasing in popularity. However, it is not of the same profile as the NBA and WNBA.
Nonetheless, Ice Cube admitted he was happy with the organisation's steady progress.
"We got some great players," he said. "Lance Stephenson, Dwight Howard. Wesley Johnson's been great, Montrezl Harrell's been great. The league has been must-see TV for sure."
Topics: Basketball
Chris Byfield