Indiana Fever star and Iowa legend Caitlin Clark is “disinclined” to participate in NBA All-Star Weekend despite an invitation earlier this year, implying she would rather her first 3-point contest in an all-star setting be in the WNBA. Sports Business Journal reported Clark is “not interested in shooting 3-pointers off of a ball rack — considering her practice regimen consists only of catch-and-shoot 3-pointers or shots off the dribble.”
Last season, the New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu participated in NBA All-Star Weekend with Golden Star Warriors standout Stephen Curry, calling it a dream come true. Clark and Ionescu reportedly talked about a possible pairing in San Francisco last month, but Clark decided against it. Ionescu, who lost to Curry in a head-to-head shootout last February, said she’ll be in attendance. However, the NBA announced there would not be a rematch between her and Curry this year.
NBA All-Star Weekend’s popularity has diminished in recent years with many of the league’s brightest stars declining to participate in the dunk contest and other festivities, not to mention the all-star game itself has mostly become a non-competitive exhibition.
The allure of Clark was a potential ratings bonanza given her starpower. Fox Sports’ Rob Parker said this week Clark has “ruined” NBA All-Star Weekend with her decision.
“They invited her to be involved in a shooting contest with Steph and they were going to make this nice and give people something to watch,” Parker said. “She is television ratings gold. Everything she’s in, people are watching. That would have been the only reason to watch any of the festivities this weekend.”
Parker said it was a bad look for Clark.
“How can she say no when the WNBA wouldn’t even be around if it wasn’t for the NBA? They have subsidized that league forever,” Parker said. “The least she could have done was do a solid for her brothers in the NBA.”
Clark, the WNBA Rookie of the Year last season, recently starred in her first Super Bowl commercial with Nike. The commercial spotlighted the brand’s top athletes, an ode to the up and coming female standouts of tomorrow. Clark finished her first season in the WNBA averaging 19.2 points per game, 5.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists and was selected to the All-WNBA First Team and made history by becoming the first player to record 20-plus points, 15-plus assists and five or more rebounds in a game.
Previously, Clark set numerous all-time scoring records including 3,951 career points at Iowa, showed a passing skillset at a level few players ever have in the women’s game and routinely hit 3-pointers from well beyond the arc with a nightly shooting display that transcended the sport.
Nike’s Decision Fuels Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese Rivalry
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese make up one of the greatest player rivalries in American sports. The two WNBA All-Stars have been playing against each other since their high school days as elite basketball prospects.
That rivalry continued into their college years, culminating with the infamous national championship matchup between the Iowa Hawkeyes and LSU Tigers in 2023. Clark went to the Indiana Fever with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft. Reese went No. 7 overall to the Chicago Sky. Both put together historic rookie campaigns with their respective WNBA teams.
Clark finished her debut season as the near-unanimous Rookie of the Year, with the only other vote going to Reese. Before beginning her WNBA career, Clark signed an eight-year, $28 million endorsement contract with Nike. Nike recently fueled the Clark-Reese rivalry with a marketing decision – placing two Clark billboards up near Chicago’s Wintrust Arena.
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