WNBA star Caitlin Clark has been in the league for less than a month and is already making waves. After a legendary career at the University of Iowa, Clark is now breaking barriers as a professional.
Clark just inked a $28 million deal with sneaker giant Nike. And it gets better. She’s rumored to be getting her own signature shoe as part of the endorsement deal, too.
Caitlin Clark Had Multiple Suitors
Clark’s deal has no shortage of dollar signs either. Nike backed up the Brinks truck inking her into a lucrative eight-year deal that will pay her $28 million. But the Indiana Fever star had several other suitors. However, they did not offer her nearly as much money as Nike did.
“Adidas sent Clark some shoes and even prepared a prototype signature model for her. But the Adidas bid fell far short of the mark: $6 million over four years,” the Wall Street Journal wrote.
“In the end, the closest contender for Nike was Under Armour, a company whose highest-profile ambassador happens to be another long-shooting phenom. When Under Armour made its pitch to Clark, Stephen Curry participated, according to The Athletic. The offer was $16 million over four years, with a signature shoe.”
NBA Champ Furious Over Analyst’s Comments
Clark had one of the best college basketball careers ever. Men or women. And she may have been able to cement herself as the greatest women’s college basketball player of all time had she won the championship. But Coach Dawn Staley and the University of South Carolina foiled her plans after they defeated Iowa in the National Championship Game.
In a recent interview with news analyst Gayle King, King mentions that most people were rooting for Iowa to win because of Clark. However, NBA champion Stephen Jackson took exception to that Claim.
“So, Gayle King’s supposed to be somebody that’s big in the journalism space, right? And I don’t consider her Black media. Y’all give her all these passes because she’s Oprah’s friend. I don’t give a f–k whose friend she is,” Jackson said via his social media account.
“But you cannot demean Dawn Staley like that. You’re talking to her about winning the championship, about going undefeated. And you have the nerve to get on there and say, ‘We was rooting for Caitlin Clark and you broke everybody’s hearts.’