Indiana Fever rookie is also expected to receive a signature shoe ahead of debut WNBA season.
Indiana Fever
Women’s basketball phenomenon Caitlin Clark is close to signing an eight-figure endorsement deal with Nike, according to The Athletic.
Clark, who was made the first overall pick in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) draft by the Indiana Fever, is also expected to be given a signature shoe from the US sportswear giant.
The Athletic reports that Nike beat out Adidas and Under Armour to land Clark on its roster. Under Armour’s meeting with the college basketball record-breaker was thought to include Stephen Curry, with his Curry Brand a division within the Under Armour network.
ent agreement with Nike during her college basketball career. This expired once the 2023/24 season finished, meaning she was able to go to market on the back of an illustrious period at the University of Iowa, where she set new records for the sport and propelled women’s college basketball to a new level of popularity.
The 22-year-old’s presence at the WNBA draft scored record viewership figures for ESPN, with 2.45 million viewers tuning in to see her chosen by the Fever.
Clark has amassed an extensive sponsorship portfolio, with Nike to sit alongside brands such as State Farm, Gatorade, Panini and Gainbridge.
Other than Clark, only five current WNBA players have signature shoe endorsements. She now joins two of them in Washington Mystics ace Elena Delle Donne and New York Liberty sharpshooter Sabrina Ionescu on Nike’s roster. Ionescu’s deal is reportedly worth US$24 million with the sportswear company.
Phoenix Mercury icon Diana Taurasi has previously released a signature shoe with Nike, while Las Vegas Aces’ titan Candace Parker and the Liberty’s Breanna Stewart also have released shoes with Adidas and Puma respectively.
SportsPro says…
Clark was always going to draw significant interest from the top sportswear brands, but evidently, she has decided it was best to stay with Nike.
It is likely to be among the biggest shoe deals in the league, but given Clark’s vast fanbase, Nike will consider this a worthwhile investment.
ESPN and the WNBA have already benefited from her joining the league as shown by the record viewership for the draft, with WNBA chief marketing officer Phil Cook telling SportsPro last month that her arrival was akin to a “Tiger Woods entering the PGA Tour moment”. The Fever will feature in 36 nationally-televised games next season, with broadcasters keen to show her whenever possible.
Meanwhile, Fanatics revealed after the draft that her Fever jersey is already the highest-selling jersey ever for a draft pick, and has sold out of its initial batch.
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