See How Much Money Each Sneaker Brand Offered Caitlin Clark

The Wall Street Journal reported how much money each sneaker brand offered Caitlin Clark.
Caitlin Clark is reportedly nearing a sneaker deal with Nike.
Caitlin Clark is reportedly nearing a sneaker deal with Nike. / Indianapolis Star-USA TODAY NETW

It has been a whirlwind past few weeks for Caitlin Clark. The women's basketball star capped off her legendary college career at the Final Four before going first in the WNBA Draft. As of last week, she is nearing a historic signature sneaker deal with Nike.

The significance of Clark's partnership with Nike cannot be overstated. Her association with the brand dates back to her time with the Iowa Hawkeyes, where she had an NIL deal and regularly wore Kobe Bryant's retro Nike basketball shoes on the court.

However, we are starting to learn more about the contracts commanded by Clark. Rachel Bachman of The Wall Street Journal recently authored a riveting article detailing sneaker companies' intense pursuit of the women's basketball star.

In the article, we learned lots of interesting information, including how much each company offered Clark. Below is a breakdown of the contracts that were reportedly offered to Clark.

  • Nike offered eight years for up to $28 million.
  • Under Armour offered four years for $16 million.
  • Adidas offered four years at $6 million.
  • PUMA walked away when informed the bidding would begin at $3 million.

Those numbers have been called into question by Nick DePaula of Boardroom. DePaula is a sneaker reporter who replied to the report on social media by saying, "Numbers are off."

The entire story is fascinating as it provides far more details about the process of courting the biggest star in women's basketball history.

While Clark's signature sneaker deal with Nike is not yet finalized, it seems imminent and likely to be very profitable for both parties. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's FanNation Kicks for all your footwear news from the sports world and beyond.

Further Reading: How adidas toppled Nike in the opening weekend of the NBA Playoffs.


Published
Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the sneaker industry for Kicks On Sports Illustrated. Previously, he has reported on the NBA, authored "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)," and interviewed some of the biggest names in the sports world. You can email him at 1989patbenson@gmail.com.