Driving excessive after a wave of Clark-mania that accompanied the NCAA girls’s basketball match, Caitlin Clark has signed a megabucks shoe contract with Nike.
The eight-year deal can be price as much as $28 million, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources it didn’t identify. The Journal summed it up because the “most lucrative and attractive shoe deal in women’s basketball—and yet another record for her collection.”
The endorsement deal dwarfs the controversial contract Clark signed with the WNBA group the Indiana Fever, which pays her over $330,000 over 4 years.
Nike had Clark underneath contract in a deal that expired on the finish of the season, however as she was climbing the head of feat in an unmatched highlight, within the shadows there was some exhausting bargaining happening.
The Journal report mentioned that on Feb. 15, after Clark poured in 49 factors, her brokers have been elevating the stakes with Nike, Adidas, Underneath Armour and Puma.
Nation star Tim McGraw dons Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever jersey at live performance in Indianapolis https://t.co/eIullFWi3p
— Fox Information (@FoxNews) April 21, 2024
Their proposal: Nothing underneath $3 million a yr.
“Some of the brand reps were shocked by the number. It was a huge sum for a women’s basketball player, few of whom ever receive deals worth more than six figures,” the Journal reported.
Amid the bargaining, some shoe firm executives have been conditioning offers on Clark staying in school one other yr on the grounds that as a college phenomenon, she was extra enticing to shoppers than as knowledgeable, the Journal reported.
Clark is ready to graduate Could 14, in keeping with CNN. Nonetheless, she has an additional yr of school ball eligibility underneath an NCAA COVID exemptions, in keeping with The Sporting News.
However Clark modified the dialog as she soared to new ranges of feat – and scores.
“She played herself into a position where it wasn’t even contingent on staying in college,” a supply informed the Journal. “People just wanted her.”
Not Puma. It dropped out.
Adidas had its flip.
“While some athletes let their agents ask the questions or wade through details, this was one more area where Clark, an honors student in marketing at Iowa’s business school, liked to have the ball in her hands. Adidas executives were surprised by how engaged, curious and well-prepared she was on the call,” the Journal wrote.
The provide clanged on the rim: $6 million for 4 years.
Underneath Armour provided $16 million over 4 years together with a signature shoe. Shut, however not sufficient.
Nike began with $3.5 million per yr. The deal would final by means of the subsequent three Olympic Video games. However it took yet another piece — a signature shoe – to shut the deal, the Journal reported.
Diana Taurisi, the WNBA’s all-time main scorer, mentioned all of the hype has been enjoyable, however it’s up to now.
The Ladies’s NBA season begins subsequent month, and Clark is predicted to see enjoying time proper off the bat, in keeping with USA Today, however the recreation she’ll be enjoying might be a lot totally different from her school competitions.
“You look superhuman playing against some 18-year-olds, but you’re going to come play with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time,” Taurasi informed sports activities columnist Jay Mariotti for a Substack post.
“There’s a period of grace that you have to give rookies when they get to the league. We’ve had some of the greats to ever play basketball, and it takes two or three years to get used to a different game (against) the best players in the world. As long as everyone has expectations that are realistic, they should be fine,” she mentioned.
However WNBA analyst Rebecca Lobo mentioned judging Clark by anybody else’s norms sells her quick.
“There’s no comparison that I can find on the women’s side, and I’ve been in this league since the very beginning,” she mentioned.
“We haven’t seen a player drive ticket sales like this. We haven’t seen a player drive ratings like this. Look at the ratings, the last four or five games she played. I’ve never seen anything to this degree, and to me, what’s special is that she’s staying in the Midwest and going to Indiana. It’s such a perfect fit,” she mentioned.
This text appeared initially on The Western Journal.
