Caitlin Clark has made a decision.
The reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year has rejected the opportunity to participate in the NBA’s All-Star weekend.
After a stellar season, the Indiana Fever superstar was rumored to be on the list of contenders for a WNBA vs NBA style battle in the three-point shooting contest during All-Star weekend next month.
Last year, New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu went head-to-head with Warriors icon Steph Curry that Curry just about edged.
Back in November, social media went into a frenzy after ESPN basketball insider Shams Charania reported that Clark could be part of NBA All-Star weekend in February 2025.
“Curry and Ionescu are in strong conversations to return in a variation of the shootout, which could include other NBA and WNBA players such as Klay Thompson and Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever,” Charania posted on X.
This year’s games will take place in San Francisco after being in Indianapolis last year, and the entire format for 2025 has been revamped.
The All-Star game will now feature a mini-tournament of four teams and three games – two-semi finals and one final – as the NBA bids to improve ratings and draw in more viewers.
Last year’s edition did make history when Curry and Ionescu took part in the first ever NBA versus WNBA 3-point challenge.
The Warriors’ point-guard totalled 29 points while Ionescu racked up 26 points, and the spectacle was arguably the best part of 2024’s All-Star weekend.
Now, the NBA want to bring in a new star to ramp up interest in the event even further, and Clark has been the WNBA player they have targeted.
However, it appears such conversations are lagging as Sports Business Journal has claimed that the 23-year-old told the WNBA a San Francisco date was not on her agenda.
GettySteph Curry is the greatest three-point shooter of all-time[/caption]
“Caitlin Clark has told the NBA she is disinclined to participate in an All-Star Game three-point contest next month that could include Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Sabrina Ionescu,” SBJ stated.
The report also claimed that the set-up was not to Clark’s liking and that she was ‘not interested’ in a 3-point shooting contest that features moving around the circle to stations and picking balls off a rack before shooting.
Clark set the WNBA rookie record for three-pointers in a season, and became the fastest player to reach 100 three-pointers in WNBA history to go with a host of NCAA Division I records from her standout collegiate career.
However, Clark ‘typically practices catch-and-shoot 3-pointers’, although her involvement was not ruled out completely as “the league is still in discussions with Clark’s representatives.”
Astonishingly, the report also suggested that Curry could participate in the three-point shoot-out for the WNBA’s All-Star weekend, should not Clark join the NBA’s event.
“There’s a scenario where Steph Curry could participate in three-point shootout during WNBA All-Star weekend next summer,” SBJ claimed.
A no-show from Clark would be a blow to the NBA as plans were made to enhance the three-point contest even further.
The league were going to move the challenge to Sunday night and have it take place in between the semi-final and final of the All-Star game.
Another player who will be disappointed if Clark decides not to play is Klay Thompson, after the four-time NBA champion said he would be interested in a challenge with the Fever star.
“I don’t know the details,” he told the Dallas Morning News on Sunday night, “but if the opportunity presents itself that’d be cool to be part of.”
An appearance from the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year would also likely draw more interest from a wider audience as Clark has been catapulted into fame over the last two years.
From picking up TIME’s Athlete of the Year to mingling with Taylor Swift, Clark has become a star over the last two years.
She spearheaded the WNBA’s record breaking season last year with attendance, viewership and revenue all sky-rocketing.
Her own Indiana Fever saw their attendance rise by 320 percent to a league-leading average of 17,000 per game.
While the wait to see if Clark participates at All-Star weekend goes on, the WNBA returns on May 16 when Fever face Angel Reese’s Chicago Sky to tip off their season.