Caitlin Clark of the WNBA and Nike are reportedly close to signing an 8-figure contract with a signature shoe.
According to Shams Charania, Mike Vorkunov, and Ben Pickman of The Athletic, Nike is close to finalizing an endorsement contract with Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark.
The contract is anticipated to be around eight figures and will include a signature shoe for the first overall choice in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
Clark was one of five college athletes who signed NIL contracts with Nike in October 2022. With her college career over, the 6’0″ guard was free to consider all of her choices for a sneaker deal. Under Armour and Adidas, according to The Athletic, both made “sizable offers”.
To see Clark snag eight figures out of the gate isn’t all that surprising given both her wide popularity and Nike’s willingness to bet big on young rookies. LeBron James famously got $90 million as he entered the NBA in 2003, while Zion Williamson signed for a reported $75 million in 2019.
The Hawkeyes star, 22, left Iowa City as one of the most accomplished players of her generation. She’s the all-time leading scorer in Division I history, a two-time national player of the year and a two-time national runner-up.
More crucially, in terms of endorsements, Clark has demonstrated her box office in a way that is almost unparalleled in the history of women’s basketball.
Fans tuned in to Iowa’s NCAA tournament run in unprecedented numbers, with South Carolina’s national championship triumph over the Hawkeyes drawing an average of 18.9 million viewers.
Then, the 2024 WNBA draft more than surpassed its previous viewership record. It’s reasonable to expect Clark’s big fanbase to translate similarly when she and Nike launch her first trademark collection.
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