A new report suggests that the new Unrivaled Women’s Basketball League is making a “full-court press” to get Caitlin Clark on its roster this winter.

Sep 25, 2024; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) possesses the ball during the first half against the Connecticut Sun during game two of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

The new Unrivaled Women’s Basketball League, which is set to debut on January 17, 2025, in Miami, announced through a media release yesterday that they’ve, “reached a multi-year media rights partnership to exclusively present live game coverage on TNT and truTV… with more than 45 primetime regular season matchups three nights a week across TNT Sports platforms.”

This partnership with TNT (and its investment in Unrivaled) is massive, given that it had been unknown where Unrivaled would be broadcast.

However, there’s still one snag in Unrivaled’s blueprint for success: Indiana Fever sensation Caitlin Clark is, at least right now, not planning to join the league next year.

In the waning moments of the Fever’s last game of their WNBA season, ESPN broadcaster Ryan Ruocco said, “We talked to Caitlin Clark earlier today. She said she almost definitely will not play basketball this offseason. So it is likely we will not see her play again until April.”

Unrivaled Basketball League Reportedly Recruiting Caitlin Clark

Women’s basketball’s biggest superstar not planning to play in Unrivaled is a massive blow. However, the league doesn’t seem content to let Clark walk away so easily.

An October 17 article from Front Office Sports’ Michael Mccarthy reported, “Fresh off agreeing to an inaugural TV deal with TNT Sports, the new league will try to recruit Clark in the coming weeks, sources with knowledge of the strategy tell Front Office Sports.”

“The fledgling league didn’t want to rush its approach to the 22-year-old after her rookie season in the WNBA,” McCarthy continued. “Instead, the new league wanted to give the Indiana Fever star time to recover and golf in her off-season. But with a national TV contract under its belt, sources say Unrivaled plans to approach Clark sometime in the next several weeks.”

“Get ready for the full-court press,” predicted one source in the article.

It will be fascinating to see whether Unrivaled succeeds in bringing Clark on board as we inch closer to that January 17 start date.