Just days after being selected No. 1 overall in the WNBA draft, Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark is reportedly on the brink of closing a massive, eight-figure endorsement deal with Nike.
Industry sources did not disclose the exact amount the lucrative deal could be worth, but told The Athletic that it's expected to include a signature Caitlin Clark shoe line.
Clark was already endorsed by Nike in college, but the deal expired at the conclusion of her record-breaking senior year season with the Iowa Hawkeyes. Now it appears Nike moved quickly to keep Clark on board after she also reportedly received offers from Adidas and Under Armour.
Caitlin Clark offered $5M to join Ice Cube's BIG3 basketball league
The 22-year-old has already shared her intention to declare for the WNBA draft after college, but Ice Cube thinks there's a way she can do both.
This all comes on the heels of controversy surrounding Clark's WNBA salary. According to the league's collective bargaining agreement, the basketball phenom is slated to earn about $338,000 over the course of her four-year rookie contract — just pennies on the dollar compared to the $55 million contract given to last year's No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.
But beyond salary discrepancies, there's no denying the indelible impact Clark has that's transforming women's sports as a whole.
From drawing the largest women's basketball regular season television audience of the past 25 years, to seeing her rookie jersey fly off store shelves, Clark has made it difficult to ignore the girls. And sponsors are finally starting to catch on, in hopes of profiting from this growing fandom.
