Lou Williams is one of two players who can claim that he is the best player in NBA history to come off the bench. His 13,396 points scored as a reserve is the most in NBA history. He and Jamal Crawford are also the only players to win the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award three times.
And so when Lou retired at the age of 35 after the 2021-22 NBA season, it was no surprise that he was one of the BIG3 's most coveted players. Ice Cube and his team courted Williams, and in 2024, "Sweet Lou" almost said 'yes' until Caitlin Clark entered the picture.
"I love that league, and I'm a big fan," said Williams on 'The Underground Lounge'. "I'm a big supporter of it. I support Cube. Got nothing against Cube. We couldn't get on the same page with the business."
According to Lou Will, he seriously considered the BIG3 and actually sat down with them at the negotiating table. While he did not mention the amount, Williams said that Ice Cube tried to explain to him that he was building his league from the ground up and, therefore, couldn't afford to pay him big money yet.
When Cube made him an offer, Lou Will wanted to accept it, even if it wasn't the number he had in mind, because he rocked with Ice Cube and wanted to support his business. But that's when he found out that they were also trying to sign Caitlin to a crazy contract.
"The same day they offered Caitlin Clark $2 million. I sent the link. I said, 'Are you all fu—n' serious?' The same day. Y'all gonna do this the same day that y'all like, 'Hey man, work with me.' Then you offered her…You connect your name to Caitlin Clark at that time; it was buzzing. But I was like, 'The same day, bro? Come on,'" he added.
Back then, Clark was the hottest name in women's college basketball. When Cube confirmed they had made the offer, Caitlin was still playing in the NCAA tournament with her Iowa squad, but everybody knew she was going to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
Ice Cube even detailed a situation where Caitlin would be able to play for both leagues, given the BIG3's schedule and season setup, that is, if the WNBA's CBA allowed it.
Meanwhile, Caitlin said she heard about the BIG3 offer but refused to comment, saying she was focused on the tournament and that she has people who take care of her business. Nothing ever came of it, except that the BIG3 lost the opportunity to bring the "Underground GOAT" into its fold.
During an appearance on the All The Smoke podcast in 2024, Ice Cube explained how the BIG3's sponsors approached him and told him that if they could get Caitlin to play in the league, they would pour in more money into his brainchild. Given that the BIG3 wasn't as big as it is today, he said he decided that going after CC was in the league's best interest.
"We just felt like we had a great opportunity and we wanted to extend the opportunity," said Ice Cube. " With us it's kind of a NIL situation, our sponsors are clamoring, they would love for her to join the league, and if she joined the league, they would support the league even more."
For Ice Cube, getting more sponsor money would mean better salaries for everybody else. Lou Will did not say it outright, but obviously, offering CC that contract and then convincing him to accept a smaller amount was nothing short of an insult.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Oct 14, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
