Caitlin Clark has reportedly shot down the chance to take on one of the NBA‘s biggest names in a blow to the league.
Fellow WNBA superstar Sabrina Ionescu headlined the NBA All-Star weekend last year when she went head-to-head with Steph Curry in a three-point contest.
And the league had hoped to expand on the interest the hit competition generated last year by recreating the contest with Clark and Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson joining a returning Curry and Ionescu.
However, Clark rained on their parade Wednesday when she reportedly declined the invitation to participate, according to Sports Business Journal.
It comes as a blow to the NBA, who reportedly considered moving the matchup – which had been branded Steph vs. Sabrina 2.0 – to the Sunday night of All-Star weekend, which begins on February 14.
The contest could have taken top billing in between the second semifinal and the championship game of the first ever All-Star tournament in San Francisco.
![Caitlin Clark has turned down an offer to compete in the NBA's All-Star weekend](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/29/21/94654741-0-image-a-40_1738184429973.jpg)
Caitlin Clark has turned down an offer to compete in the NBA’s All-Star weekend
![Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu faced off in a head-to-head 3-point contest last year](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/29/21/81403737-0-image-a-39_1738184402043.jpg)
Stephen Curry and Sabrina Ionescu faced off in a head-to-head 3-point contest last year
![The Fever star has been enjoying her WNBA offseason with boyfriend Connor McCaffrey](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/29/21/94654705-0-image-a-41_1738184432597.jpg)
The Fever star has been enjoying her WNBA offseason with boyfriend Connor McCaffrey
It isn’t the first time Clark, who celebrated her 23rd birthday earlier this month, has turned down an offer to compete outside of the WNBA season.
The Indiana Fever star declined a reported $5million offer to join Ice Cube’s Big3 League before also shunning Unrivaled, the new three-on-three women’s league.
Clark, who brought unprecedented attention to the WNBA during her rookie season in 2024, opted not to take part in the breakaway competition despite being offered a staggering $1million to do so.
And after being snubbed by the biggest name in women’s basketball, Unrivaled has ultimately paid the price.
According to Front Office Sports, the launch night earlier this month peaked at an average of just 364,000 viewers across TNT Sports and truTV, which is well below what the WNBA registered in 2024.
An average of 1.19 million viewers tuned into ESPN during the WNBA regular season, albeit mainly to watch Clark in action for the Fever.
The year before she entered the big leagues, an average of 505,000 viewers watched the top tier of women’s basketball in the US on ABC, ESPN, and CBS.
Despite landing big names such as Angel Reese, Ionescu, Brittney Griner, Cameron Brink and more, Unrivaled chiefs tempered expectations before opening night.
‘We don’t expect to go get the same numbers the WNBA does,’ league president Alex Bazzell told Front Office Sports. ‘We’re just trying to deliver a great product, which I know we can do.’
Instead, Clark has been soaking up the action at a number of sporting events with her boyfriend, Butler assistant coach Connor McCaffrey.
She most recently made headlines when she watched her beloved Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead alongside pop sensation Taylor Swift.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .