Caitlin Clark signed a record eight-year Nike deal worth $28million in April.
The bumper contract is the richest in women’s basketball company and ties the WNBA superstar to the sportswear giant long term.
Clark‘s first season as a pro went as well as could be expected as the Rookie of the Year turned the struggling Indiana Fever franchise into a playoff contender.
Her popularity saw the league smash attendance and viewership records, bringing millions of new fans to the game.
But despite this success, there are massive question marks over the 22-year-old’s lucrative endorsement deal.
Former Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro signed Michael Jordan to the company – a move that changed the landscape in sports advertising.
He thinks Clark’s reprasentatives massively dropped the ball in negotiations.
“She should have gotten a piece of everything,” the 84-year-old told TMZ. “Just like Michael Jordan.
“I’m saying to you, they messed up. They should have held on to the last drop.”
Under Armour and Adidas were also in the hunt for Clark’s signature after she broke the all-time NCAA scoring record at the University of Iowa.
Jordan’s initial deal with Nike was worth $2.5m in 1984 – he now earns 5% on all his products and is the best-paid athlete ever with over $3billion in earnings.
Agent Erin Kane said in November that her client is on the same level as Serena Williams, Tiger Woods, and Simone Biles.
But at just $3.5million per year, Clark’s deal does not seem to match her popularity and the number of interested parties.
Nike’s failure to release a signature shoe is a devastating blow for both the athlete and the company.
WNBA MVP A’Ja Wilson debuted the A’One earlier this year and college star Paige Bueckers has just released the G.T. Hustle 3 via her relationship with the Swoosh. But Clark fans are still waiting.
Nike has seen it’s market cap slump from $129.69billion to $91.14billion since December 2023 – a drop of nearly 30%.
The failure to cash in on company-friendly terms with one of the biggest stars in women’s sports has been slammed.
“Caitlin Clark and Nike is one of the greatest fumbles in sports marketing history,” blasted YouTuber Mick Talks Hoops.
“I think we can say it is right now, that it is without question one of the biggest fumbles in history.
“We have got a player who is the most popular basketball player in the world right now, outside of Stephen Curry. And her agent somehow convinced her to sign an eight-year deal. It is the biggest blunder in the history of marketing.
“The agent that brokered this deal should never, should have been fired on the spot, should already have been fired at this stage. Because a fair deal for Caitlin Clark is 20 million a year.
“Then also, on the other side, Nike have completely messed it up as well with their marketing.
“The people in Nike have said, basically, she is not getting her signature shoe any time soon. Basically because they need to give A’ja Wilson her shoe first.
“They’ll release a Paige Bueckers shoe. Bueckers is getting her shoe. They did not do the same for Caitlin Clark.”
Clark, who made around $11million via endorsements in 2024, is expected to release her own signature design ahead of the 2025 WNBA season.
She will likely take a significant cut of sales and had enough in the bank that she felt comfortable rejecting a seven-figure offer to join the Unrivaled league in January.
But it feels like a massive loss for Nike, as well as Clark and her fans, that young girls aren’t running around in her version if the Air Jordan already.