Fever Fans Lament Caitlin Clark Signature Shoe Wait After Nike Earnings Report
Despite all the hype that came from Nike signing Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark to a reported eight-year, $28 million deal (that includes her receiving a signature shoe) earlier this year, Nike hasn't done much with this contract to this point.
Of course, a lot goes into creating a signature shoe for a player, and it would have been unrealistic to imagine fans could already buy Clark's first signature shoe in 2024.
Still, some fans are chalking up Nike's current sales struggles to them missing this golden opportunity. And this sentiment wasn't done any favors when an excerpt of a Nike Q2 2025 Earnings Call transcript surfaced on social media Friday.
One part of the report included Nike President and CEO Elliott Hill saying, "We've launched a women's basketball program, which I didn't think we'd ever do. Sabrina, Matt already touched on it, No. 2 shoe in the NBA.
"And then, we have A'ja [Wilson] and Caitlin [Clark] coming back from behind and behind that. Sportswear, a new lineup around look at court, look at basketball, look at football, including the field general. So, net-net is the product's coming, and we're gaining confidence with each season," he continued.
Despite this not being said directly (or even alluded to), some fans took Hill's words as proof that Clark's Nike signature shoe won't be released until 2026 at the earliest.
X user @nosyone4 started this discussion by screenshotting Hill's words and writing, "During the Nike Q2 earnings call CEO Elliot Hill indicates that Caitlin’s shoe will be coming in 2026".
During the Nike Q2 earnings call CEO Elliot Hill indicates that Caitlin’s shoe will be coming in 2026 pic.twitter.com/IdudAZrIFf
— correlation (@nosyone4) December 20, 2024
Fans aren't happy about supposedly needing to wait at least another year for Clark's shoe.
"Nike was a mistake for Caitlin Clark. I've never seen such incompetence," one fan wrote.
Nike was a mistake for Caitlin Clark. I've never seen such incompetence https://t.co/JvDxI5yBjT
— Mily (@DayDreamThis) December 20, 2024
Another fan added, "this better be early 2026".
"that’s too far away :/," said a third.
Hopefully Clark's signature shoes end up being worth the wait, regardless of when they're released.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.