Caitlin Clark Signs 8-Year, $28 Million Deal With Nike

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It was NBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis and executives from the world’s leading shoe companies descended on hotel lobbies in the city to make their pitch to the biggest stars in basketball.

But the prize they were all after wasn’t anyone shooting out the lights in the NBA. In fact, the player they all wanted hadn’t even turned pro yet. She was a 6-foot senior at the University of Iowa who was in the midst of rewriting the record books.

Everyone was asking the same question: Which shoe company would land Caitlin Clark?

Two months later, it turns out the answer is Nike. The biggest name in women’s basketball is set to sign an eight-year deal worth up to $28 million with the biggest name in sportswear, according to people familiar with the situation.

If that outcome seems inevitable, the reality is that Clark striking a deal with Nike was far from a slam dunk. In fact, the race to tie her to a shoe contract ranked as the most competitive in the history of women’s basketball, playing out against the backdrop of Clark lifting her sport to new heights and unprecedented TV ratings as she became a household name across America.

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