Fans await the cast reveal for Dancing with the Stars Season 33, as each season brings various stars from acting, singing, social media, and sports.
Many sports stars have captured the coveted Mirrorball Trophy, now named the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, in the late DWTS judge’s honor.
Rumors suggested the show’s producers wanted to score big by bringing basketball superstar Caitlin Clark in for the upcoming season.
Clark captured much attention throughout the college basketball season, and DWTS desperately wanted her as part of the cast.
However, an insider says despite them “bending over backwards” to get Clark on the show, she “respectfully declined.”
That was due to Clark having other things to focus on, including her basketball career, and she has her eye on a few shows on which she’d prefer to appear.
DWTS producers wanted Clark on Season 33
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark took the sports world by storm this year. She capped her impressive college career by setting the all-time scoring record in NCAA Division I college basketball for men’s and women’s teams.
She surpassed college and NBA legend “Pistol” Pete Maravich to take over the record for most total points scored in a collegiate career.
“The producers of Dancing with the Stars have asked Caitlin to take part, but she has respectfully declined,” an insider told Daily Mail before mentioning, “Every single offer you could get has been thrown her way.”
The insider mentioned that Clark’s primary focus is her basketball career with the WNBA this summer. In addition, she’ll “dive into some other opportunities and chase those goals instead.”
Earlier this month, Clark appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America with Michael Strahan, George Stephanopoulos, and Lara Spencer to discuss the excitement of her WNBA draft moment.
As many expected, Clark was selected first overall by the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, where she’ll begin the next part of her journey. Their season starts on May 14 with the Fever visiting the Connecticut Sun.
She said she was excited to join that particular WNBA team because Indiana is known for its fandom and basketball history.
Expectations are high, but it’s also believed she’ll help women earn more money with the WNBA and other deals.
DWTS has featured various sports stars throughout its 32 seasons, including trophy winners Emmitt Smith, Shawn Johnson, Kristi Yamaguchi, Rashad Jennings, and Adam Rippon.
Former NBA player Iman Shumpert is the only basketball star to have won the show. It’s also worth noting that most athletes appearing on DWTS are retired from their sport.
Clark is ‘not opposed to doing reality shows’
While Clark has turned down DWTS, she isn’t turning down appearances on other shows, including reality TV and game shows.
“She’s not opposed to doing reality shows, but DWTS is not going to be on the table much to the chagrin of ABC, as they really wanted her and would have bent over backward to get her for the show – but it just isn’t going to happen,” the insider shared.
Based on their remarks, some of the shows Clark would want to appear on include Family Feud and The Masked Singer, as those are “more in her wheelhouse.”
The insider said Clark “will cross that bridge if presented.”
In addition to DWTS, Clark received a significant offer related to basketball. According to TMZ, rapper Ice Cube’s Big3 basketball league offered her a deal worth $15 million to join. The league mostly features former, older NBA stars in competitive 3-on-3 games.
Clark turned that offer down, too, and declined offers from several shoe and apparel companies, including Under Armour and Adidas.
However, she recently inked a deal with Nike worth $28 million over eight years, so there seems to be no shortage of opportunities for the sports superstar.
Dancing with the Stars Season 33 is TBA for ABC and Disney+.