“Caitlin will always have a spot” – Napheesa Collier’s husband Alex Bezell sheds light on Caitlin Clark’s choice against joining Unrivaled
Napheesa Collier’s husband and Unrivaled president Alex Bezell opened up on the negotiation process to try to bring Caitlin Clark to the upcoming league. Thirty-six of the best players in the world will be in Miami to represent their teams starting Jan. 17, but stars like Clark, A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum won’t participate.
During a conversation with The Ringer WNBA Show on Friday, Bezell discussed why the league decided to go from 30 to 36 players, denying that it had something to do with their attempt to sign Clark and admitting that it was about Alyssa Thomas.
“I know it was announced that we were going from 30 roster spots to 36 and like, because of it we were able to then get AT involved. Because originally she was going to go play overseas, and then change their mind is like, ‘Hey, I’m available. And we’re like, well, we got to figure out a way for AT to play, right? So people think it was like, let’s make extra roster spots so we can give ourselves more time to recruit Caitlin.
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“LW, so now at the same time, like, of course, I’ve been on record saying Caitlin will always have a spot in our league, and that is true, right? Like, we always want to be a home for the best of the best. She’s also first-team all. W you know, we went through our negotiations. Inevitably, she needed time this offseason, which we respect, so we hope to see her next year. She won’t be playing this year.” (36:51 mark)
Napheesa Collier had shown interest in bringing Caitlin Clark to Unrivaled
In the middle of the 2024 WNBA Finals, Napheesa Collier, one of the league’s co-founders, revealed her plans to have Caitlin Clark play this season, as she hoped to become a home for the best players in the world and whoever was doing things to change women’s sports.
“Definitely we want to be part of that change. I think she deserves that. I think she should be one of the top players in the world just for the sheer numbers that she’s bringing,” Collier said in October.
Caitlin Clark is trying her hand at golf this offseason, but the door isn’t closed for her in Unrivaled. Perhaps 2026 is the year when she joins the competition alongside Paige Bueckers.
