Caitlin Clark has had a pretty full plate over the last 30 days. The Final Four, a National Championship game ,the first pick in the WNBA draft, and non-stop interviews and personal appearances. It’s a lot, and she’s handled it all with grace. She will soon a new record in women’s sports with a huge payday.
Anything Caitlin Clark touches turns to gold right now. Her Indiana Fever will kick off the WNBA season in Dallas to take on the Wings and a lot of Fever fans will be wearing number 22. Her jerseys sold out within hours of being put online on Monday, and ticket prices for Fever games have doubled since she was drafted.
Reports say Nike Will Make a Caitlin Clark Shoe
Caitlin Clark is set to sign a huge endorsement deal with Nike, and it could be worth as much as $28 million. That deal with Nike would be the richest sponsorship contract ever for a women’s basketball player. It will include a signature Caitlin Clark Nike shoe. She wore these Nike Kobe Bryant sneakers during her last season at Iowa.
The deal was first reported by The Wall Street Journal and The Athletic. The outlets reported the pending deal, citing unnamed people familiar with the negotiations between Nike and Caitlin Clark’s agents.
Yes, $28 million is a lot of money, but let’s not forget she made more than $3 million while at the University of Iowa from her name, image, and likeness deals. Those deals all expired when her college season ended in the national championship game.
State Farm, Nike, Gatorade, Buick, and H&R Block all paid Cairlin Clark while still playing at Iowa. Excel Sports Management, which represents her, and Nike did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Nike had Competitors Trying to Sign Caitlin Clark
Nike had some competition in the negotiations. Under Armour, Adidas and Puma all had contract discussions with Caitlin Clark’s team in February, according to the WSJ and Athletic. The German company Puma left the talks early when it was told deals for her would start at $3 million per year.
Caitlin Clark did get offers from Adidas and Under Armor. UA offered $16 million over four years and Adidas offered $6 million over four years. Both of the deals she turned down included a signature shoe, according to the WSJ.
Some Aren’t Happy With Caitlin Clark’s Nike Deal
Caitlin Clark will be just the third active WNBA player with a signature shoe according to the Deseret News. Right now only Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart have their own shoes. Elena Delle Donne has a shoe, but she announced in January she’s stepping away from basketball this season. There has been a little blowback from some in women’s basketball because all three players are white.
Many are citing Las Vegas forward A’ja Wilson as a player that deserves her own deal. She averages 23 points and 10 rebounds per game for the Aces. Wilson has a good argument with an NCAA national championship, two WNBA titles, two MVP awards and an Olympic gold medal.
The Nike deal dwarfs Caitlin Clark’s WNBA contract. As a top three pick in the draft she will play under a four year deal worth about $340,000.
Former Memphis Grizzlies forward Chandler Parsons said, “All these people making fun of [Caitlin Clark’s] WNBA salary, eat ****, because she’s making more money than you, so keep hating,” Parsons said. “… I hope this is just the beginning of these girls getting these massive deals.”
Caitlin Clark Has Immediate Impact on the WNBA
Caitlin Clark is elevating the game like no other. 36 of the Indian Fever’s 40 total games will be on national television. A game in Washignton against the Mystics sold out in minutes. 20,000 tickets were gone 30 minutes after they went on sale on Tuesday in D.C.
That game will feature Caitlin Clark and the sixth pick in the draft Aaliyah Edwards from the University of Connecticut. The two players are very familiar with each other after post season battles in the last two years.
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Bradley Tachco is a career journalist. I spent 12+ years at CNN as a writer and producer. My sports: NHL, MLB, NFL. My goal: unique content. And my teams are the Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bills (yes, I’m a masochist), and the Los Angeles Dodgers. I have been a Dodgers fan since I was old enough to think. I have gone through decades of despair with all three franchises. You can follow Bradley on X @p09691
