With Caitlin Clark and Indiana Fever in the offseason, Jason Whitlock said the rookie sensation should headline a league that rivals the WNBA.
As the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx battle in the WNBA Finals, players have split into different leagues to offset their non-lucrative salaries.
Speaking on her show Fearless, the always controversial sports media personality talked about how mismanaged the WNBA is and laid out her point.
“Half of the WNBA right now is overseas, playing in some foreign league because they don’t make enough money during the WNBA season,” Whitlock said. ‘They’re already playing in rival leagues, why not start a rival league?’
‘You can have a rival league that operates over the summer or you can have a rival league that starts now. Right here in the United States,” he continued.
Jason Whitlock suggested Caitlin Clark should lead a league that rivals the WNBA
Whitlock went on to reference Clark’s fellow rookie, Kamilla Cardoso, who was one of the players who left the United States to play overseas. He added that a rival league with Clark as leader would be ideal for his contemporaries.
“I just saw Kamilla Cardoso, I don’t remember what country she was flying to,” Whitlock said. ‘But do you think Kamilla wouldn’t say ‘Oh, I don’t have to leave the country, I can play basketball and they can pay me?’ Playing in the XX league where Caitlin Clark and that league will attract a better audience. More people in the seats than the WNBA. And (Cardoso) will not have to be a tool for politics.’
Furthermore, Whitlock stated that Saudi Arabia would gladly fund the rival league. He also criticized NBA and WNBA commissioners for not maximizing Clark’s ability to draw an audience.
“I’m going to tell you who is going to do this, Saudi Arabia,” he said. ‘They can see what I can see. Man, there is a lot of momentum behind Caitlin Clark and women’s basketball.
“Adam Silver, Cathy Engelbert, the people who run the NBA and the WNBA, they’re idiots,” Whitlock continued. “They don’t know how to make the most of this gift from Caitlin Clark.”
Whitlock added that Clark’s rival, Angel Reese, and the UConn players would jump ship.
Breanna Stewart and Nepheesa Collier founded ‘Unrivaled’ 3vs3 league in 2023
Clark’s Rookie of the Year campaign inspired a surge in the WNBA’s viewing and attendance numbers. While campaigning for the Indiana Fever star to rebel against the league, Whitlock listed players who would jump ship with her, including rival Angel Reese.
“I don’t fully know where Caitlin Clark stands, she may be a closeted feminist, but I know money talks,” Whitlock said. “I think Angel Reese only cares about money and attention; she’ll come on board. Juju Watkins, she’ll come on board. Paige Bueckers, I think she’ll come on board.
Whitlock suggested that UConn women’s basketball Geno Auriemma should be the commissioner and the players should be part owners of the association.
Liberty’s Breanna Stewart and Lynx’s Nepheesa Collier, both UConn alumni, founded the Unrivaled 3on3 league that will launch in January. The league will play in Florida and has 26 players and six teams.