Report: Caitlin Clark deal with Nike worth $28 million
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark‘s reported deal with Nike is worth up to $28 million over eight years, per Rachel Bachman of The Wall Street Journal.
Nike faced competition from several rival companies to earn Clark’s signature, including Adidas and Under Armour. Under Armour, who made Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry part of their presentation to Clark, offered as much as $16 million over four years, with a signature shoe. Nike’s initial offer of $3.5 million didn’t come with a signature shoe. Nike would up its offer to Clark, signing her to the most lucrative shoe deal in women’s basketball.
Shams Charania of The Athletic originally reported that Clark was nearing an eight-figure agreement with Nike. She had an NIL deal with the shoewear giant during her time at Iowa, but that expired when her career ended.
Nike was among Clark’s most vocal supporters as she put together a record-setting season as a senior in 2023. When she broke Kelsey Plum’s NCAA women’s scoring record, the company released a line of shirts that read “You break it, you own it” and debuted special edition merchandise after she passed “Pistol” Pete Maravich to become the Division I all-time leading scorer.
Clark’s partnership with Nike dates back to October 2022 when she joined the company’s first major foray into the NIL space along with other high-profile names in basketball. She also gave her Iowa teammates shoes on her birthday this year as a part of her deal.
Nike lands Caitlin Clark in big money deal
Nike’s line of WNBA signature shoes goes back to 1995 when it launched the Air Swoopes in a partnership with Sheryl Swoopes. New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart has a deal with Puma and debuted the Puma Stewie in 2021, and Sabrina Ionescu launched the Air Sabrina 1 with Nike last year.
Clark, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 WNBA Draft, tips off her professional career on May 14 in a road tilt against the Connecticut Sun. Clark was the unanimous No. 1 overall selection following a historic career at Iowa. In 39 games this past season, she posted averages of 31.6 points, 8.9 assists and 7.4 rebounds per game. Clark shot 45.5% from the field and 37.8% from behind the arc. She led the Hawkeyes to their second consecutive Women’s Basketball National Championship Game.
One year removed from finishing 13-27 and last in the Eastern Conference, the Fever are the most bet on team to win the WNBA championship next season, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Indiana currently has +2000 odds to win their second WNBA title. FanDuel Sportsbook has also taken 10x more bets on Clark (+1200) to win the WNBA MVP than any other player.