Topps to release Caitlin Clark autograph card thanks to NIL

Caitlin Clark will soon have her first autographed trading card.

Topps is scheduled to release its 2022-23 Bowman University Inception set later this month, heavily featuring the Iowa women’s basketball star. Along with her Inception autograph card, Clark will have a Bowman U Top of the Class Autographs and a Primordial Prospects Autograph in the set.

Clark inked an NIL agreement with Topps last July, allowing the company to officially license her autograph. Now she is watching the deal come to life.

The National Player of the Year headlines the release next to expected No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Victor Wembanyama. The 19 year old has been described as a generational talent. His appearance in the release marks the first trading cards he has ever released.

In total, more than 190 current and outgoing college athletes have signed autographs for the release of Bowman University Inception. Some autographs will also be featured on player-worn uniform cards.

Topps secured trading card rights deals with nearly 200 student-athletes across college football and basketball last June, including Bryce Young and Stetson Bennett who are now moving on to the NFL.

Along with its parent company Fanatics, Topps previously launched a line of college sports cards with athletes from over 100 universities. The company said the agreements would include exclusive and non-exclusive co-branded trading card products, incorporating official university trademarks and featuring current student-athletes and former athletes playing in the NFL, NBA, and MLB.

The trading card company recently released Bowman University Best Football, which featured Oregon quarterback Bo Nix and Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy on the set’s packaging.

Caitlin Clark’s major NIL brand

Arguably the sport’s next big star, Clark will be back in Iowa for at least another season before the WNBA. She signed with Nike in October as an obvious long-term play for the sportswear company. The brand launched name and number tees and sweatshirts for the Iowa guard before March Madness, signifying one of the first moves by Nike to monetize her NIL outside of social media posts.

Clark recorded the first 40-point triple-double in NCAA tournament history to lead the Hawkeyes to their first Final Four since 1993. She is also the first player in NCAA tournament history to record consecutive 40-point games. Despite falling in the national title game to LSU, the 6-foot guard finished the year averaging 27.8 points and 8.6 assists while shooting 47.3% from the field.

Entering the NCAA tournament, she inked endorsement deals with Buick and the Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Businesses Voices program. She still has her long-term deal with the Hy-Vee grocery store chain.

Clark has not publicly announced any new agreements since the end of the season, yet her social media following has seen exponential growth. Entering the Final Four, she had roughly 315,000 followers. Now she is less than 50,000 from reaching 1 million.

The Iowa star has a $796,000 On3 NIL Valuation, too. The valuation ranks No. 3 in college basketball and No. 40 On3 NIL 100, which is the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation.

Her evaluation has seen 424% in growth over the last 10 weeks. With at least one more season guaranteed in college basketball, Clark may just closing in on the prime of her NIL potential.