Caitlin Clark reportedly scored a $28 million deal with Nike after fans became outraged over her less-than-impressive WNBA rookie salary.
The No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft landed a historic deal with the athletic footwear and apparel brand that spans eight years and includes a signature shoe, sources with direct knowledge of the agreement told the Wall Street Journal.
Caitlin Clark signed a historic deal with Nike after outrage swirled over her WNBA salary.Getty Images
Clark signed an eight-year deal with the athletic footwear and apparel brand.AP
The deal involves a signature shoe.AP
The collaboration marks the largest sponsorship contract for a female basketball player.
The website reported that the basketball player, 22, had explored deals with Under Armour and Adidas in February before landing on Nike.
Under Armour reportedly offered Clark a deal of $16 million over four years while Adidas pitched $6 million over four years. Both deals would have featured a signature shoe.
She was also in talks with Under Armour, Adidas and Puma.Getty Images
Fans were outraged to learn that her first-year WNBA salary would be under $80,000.Getty Images
Clark was also in talks with Puma until the brand backed out upon hearing that bidding would start at $3 million per year.
The original name, image and likeness deal Clark signed in 2022 officially expired at the end of the 2023-24 college basketball season, making way for the new fashion deal.
Last week, outrage ensued when fans discovered that the record-breaking athlete signed a $338,000 four-year contract with the Indiana Fever.
Clark broke several records during her college basketball career.Getty Images
She was the first athlete to be dressed by Prada for the WNBA draft.AP
The salary breakdown showed Clark will receive just $76,535 in her first year in the WNBA.
Clark famously finished out her college basketball career with the Iowa Hawkeyes as the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer in history and is regarded as one of the greatest collegiate players of all time.
She also smashed ESPN viewership records when she faced off against Angel Reese-led LSU Tigers in the March Madness Elite Eight matchup earlier this month.
Clark’s games broke viewership records on ESPN.AP
She was drafted to the Indiana Fever.Getty Images
The broadcast, which peaked at 16 million viewers, was the most-watched college basketball game in ESPN history until Clark’s losing 2024 NCAA national championship game against the South Carolina Gamecocks — which peaked at 24 million viewers.
Clark continued to make history after becoming the first-ever pro-baller, man or woman, to be dressed by Prada for the draft.
The athlete attended the event in head-to-to Prada and celebrated the next step in her basketball career with a night out in New York City with her boyfriend Connor McCaffrey.
