Expert Alleges Indiana Fever Made Caitlin Clark Blunder Amidst Growing Unrivaled Rumors

Does it make sense for Caitlin Clark to play in Unrivaled? As soon as Indiana announced that CC is out for the season, fans and analysts alike started talking about her participation in the 3×3 full-court league. But are they looking at the bigger picture? The Indiana Fever star has struggled with injuries for this entire WNBA season, so would it be wise to add to her competitive workload next year? There’s no clear-cut answer to this situation, but there are quite a few interesting perspectives floating around.

On one hand, playing in Unrivaled could lead to a lot of additional workload for the six-foot-tall point guard. She will always run the risk of doing too much and getting caught in the vicious cycle of injuries once again. Which, needless to say, would not be good for her, the Fever, or the WNBA as a whole. However, the other side argues that the off-season league could let Caitlin Clark better prepare for the 2026 WNBA season, giving her high-quality competition and a platform to perform.

Suddenly, the league doesn’t sound so bad, right? After all, fans aren’t exactly buying into Indiana’s medical team and return to sport protocol after this season’s debacle. In fact, a recent analysis from CBS Sports called Caitlin Clark’s injury-plagued season a “disaster for the WNBA, the Fever and herself,” pointing to the team’s initial handling of her minor ailments as a key reason for her being ultimately shut down. So, could the Indiana Fever’s inability to keep their superstar healthy result in a massive advantage for the Unrivaled league? Well, not according to analyst Mike from Money Mike’s Syndicate.

He argues that it might not be the greatest idea for CC to play in Unrivaled. “The players who played in Unrivaled, how many of them had injuries this year? It doesn’t make any sense.” The podcast host said, pointing at the likes of Angel Reese and Napheesa Collier, who did, in fact, struggle with injuries during the WNBA regular season.

However, his approach was completely different. Money Mike talked about how adding Caitlin Clark would be a terrible move for the 3v3 league. Firstly, that would invite “Caitlin Clark fans, not the Indiana Fever fans,” according to the analyst. Moreover, CC fans haven’t exactly had the most positive response to the league. “The Caitlin [Clark] fans hate the Unrival League. It’s a garbage league. They’ve already expressed it. But now, when Caitlin gets in, it’s going to really just tear that league down, right?” Mike pointed out.

According to the analyst, the league’s not meant for the six-foot-tall point guard, and her ‘one-on-one game’.  It is incredibly physical; fouls don’t get called easily, and players have a lot more freedom in terms of initiating contact. However, we don’t think that’ll faze the Indiana Fever star. After all, she’s used to dealing with large amounts of contact and intentional fouls even in the WNBA! But will CC really take part in Unrivaled?

No one really knows. The league’s CEO had a rather cryptic invitation and a heap of compliments for the Fever star, but it doesn’t seem like he’s chasing after her.

“Women’s basketball is better when she’s playing,”: Alex Bazzell’s kind words for Caitlin Clark confuse fans amidst Unrivaled rumors

It’s always sad to see a superstar fizzle out mid-season. That’s exactly what happened with Caitlin Clark this year, and honestly? It was a matter of horrid luck more than anything else. The Indiana Fever star has been suffering through injuries since the first month of the season, and it seemed like an inevitable conclusion that she’d be ruled out for the rest of it.

But the support CC received from the basketball world? Simply mindblowing. Although we’d like to focus on one person, and one person alone–Alex Bazzell. Napheesa Collier’s husband and the CEO of Unrivaled 3×3. The businessman sat down with SportsBusinessJournal.com after Clark’s unfortunate announcement to talk about whether the six-foot-tall guard will be suiting up for the 3×3 league next year. “I think first and foremost, [the injury] just sucks for her,” Bazzell said. “Women’s basketball is better when she’s playing. … So I hope she does get healthy quickly. I think we all wish the same thing.”

The thought of Caitlin Clark playing in his league hasn’t escaped Bazzell’s mind, however, even during this time of injury. However, his method of approaching the WNBA star is unique and has drawn a lot of confusion from fans. “How we approach it is we don’t really apply pressure. Everyone who’s not currently in the league and who’s a top player, not just her, knows we’re a phone call away.” He said, adding the fact that his team isn’t currently talking to Caitlin Clark’s camp. Alex Bazzell added how he thinks CC should be hooping in the off-season, but respects the fact that it’s a personal decision for her and her family to take.

With the way things are shaping up, we won’t be surprised if we see Caitlin Clark pulling up from deep in the player-owned league next year. She hasn’t played competitive basketball in almost two months, and the 3×3 competition might be a good way to return to game-speed and realistic reps on the court. It will be interesting to see whether this dream comes true, but one thing’s for certain–we can’t wait to see the Fever guard back on the court!