{"id":1234739870,"date":"2024-12-06T15:07:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-06T20:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/footwearnews.com\/?p=1234739870"},"modified":"2024-12-06T15:15:31","modified_gmt":"2024-12-06T20:15:31","slug":"caitlin-clark-nike-deal-most-valuable-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/footwearnews.com\/business\/executive-moves\/caitlin-clark-nike-deal-most-valuable-2024-1234739870\/","title":{"rendered":"Nike Was WNBA Star Caitlin Clark’s Most Valuable Endorsement Deal in 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Caitlin Clark<\/a> brought a considerable amount of eyes to the WNBA this past season, which proved to be financially lucrative for the Indiana Fever star. <\/p>\n

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This week, Sportico<\/em> released its Highest-Paid Female Athletes 2024<\/a> list, which measured their total earnings for the 12 months ending Dec. 31. This included both salary or winnings and endorsements. Clark was the lone basketball player to make the list. <\/p>\n

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Clark’s earnings for 2024, according to Sportico<\/em>, was $11.1 million. Her WNBA salary, the publication stated, accounted for roughly $100,000 of the $11.1 million. This included, the report stated, a base salary of $76,535 and multiple performance bonus payments, including $10,300 for her All-WNBA first team selection. <\/p>\n

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The remaining $11 million of her 2024 earnings came from endorsements. The most most valuable endorsement deal, according to the report, was Nike.<\/p>\n

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In April, The Wall Street Journal<\/a><\/em> reported Nike\u2019s deal for Clark was worth up to $28 million over eight years. The Swoosh reportedly beat out several other potential bidders, including Puma, Adidas and Under Armour.<\/p>\n

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The deal, NBA insider Shams Charania reported via Twitter at the time, would also include a signature shoe.<\/p>\n

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\"UNCASVILLE,
Caitlin Clark making her WNBA regular season debut in May in the Nike Kobe 6 Protro “Grinch.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Clark has long been aligned with Nike, first signing a name, image and likeness (NIL) deal with the brand in October 2022<\/a>. The hooper laced up several different models from Nike during her Iowa Hawkeyes playing days, mostly looks from the brand’s beloved Kobe franchise.<\/p>\n

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Though Nike has not yet released a Clark signature shoe, as a pro, she has continued to play a role in the buzz around the Kobe franchise<\/a> with eye-catching player editions (PEs) and by wearing fan-favorite colorways. For instance, she debuted\u00a0her first Nike Kobe PE<\/a>\u00a0in late July during an Indiana Fever practice, a Nike Kobe 5 Protro in the black and gold hues of her alma matter.<\/p>\n

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\"Nike,
Nike’s Caitlin Clark WNBA 2024 Rookie of the Year shirt.
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Aside from footwear, Nike celebrated Clark in October with a T-shirt commemorating her Rookie of the Year Award. The shirt, which is available via Nike.com for $40<\/a>, features several of her rookie year accolades, including most points in a rookie season (769), most assists in a season (337) and more.<\/p>\n

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Some of Clark’s other high-profile deals in 2024 included Wilson Sporting Goods Co.<\/a> (highlighted by multiple signature basketball collection releases), as well as Gatorade, State Farm and more. <\/p>\n

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In terms of viewership, the WNBA revealed in October that the full season \u2014\u00a0which included the regular season, playoffs and finals \u2014\u00a0averaged 1.2 million\u00a0viewers, making it the most-watched full season on ESPN platforms ever. <\/p>\n

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What’s more, ESPN hosted the most-watched game of the regular season, a matchup between the Fever and the Chicago Sky in June, which averaged 2.3 million viewers.<\/p>\n

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About the Author<\/em><\/h2>\n

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Peter Verry is the Senior News and Features Editor for Athletic and Outdoor at Footwear News. He oversees coverage of the two fast-paced and ultracompetitive markets, which includes conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders and writing stories on sneakers and outdoor shoes. He is a lifelong sneaker addict (and shares his newest purchases via @peterverry<\/a> on Instagram) and spends most of his free time on a trail. He holds an M.A. in journalism from Hofstra University and can be reached at peter.verry@footwearnews.com.<\/em><\/p>\n

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