Caitlin Clark Makes History With Nike Deal And Second Sullivan Award Win

Not only was she the No. 1 WNBA draft pick, but she was also offered a spot on Ice Cube's BIG3, and just landed a historic signature shoe deal with Nike.

On Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Clark, 22, has landed a historic $28 million endorsement deal with Nike that will span the next eight years and include a signature shoe.

They also reported that she was offered a $16 million four-year deal with Under Armour and a four-year $6 million deal with Adidas. PUMA reportedly walked away when told the bidding would begin at $3 million.

Clark and Nike began working together in 2022 during her time at the University of Iowa under the NCAA's "Name, Image, and Likeness," or NIL, opportunities.

"I grew up watching Nike athletes across all sports play their game. They have inspired me to work hard and make a difference," Clark said in a press release at the time, according to Fox Sports. "I'm humbled to be part of this first Nike basketball class and passionate about inspiring the next."

As Clark broke records in Iowa, Nike commemorated them with a "Just Do It" commercial and ad in Iowa City.

The newly signed Indiana Fever star will become the third active WNBA player to have a signature shoe deal. Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty is a Puma signature athlete, and fellow Liberty player, Sabrina Ionescu, released her first signature shoe with Nike last year.

After Clark set new record-breaking viewership highs for women's college basketball during Iowa's last three games, with nearly 19 million tuning in for her final match, the buzz surrounding her transition to the WNBA has been electric.

The Indiana Fever selected Clark as the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft on April 15. About 2.45 million viewers watched the draft, quadrupling the previous all-time record of 601,000.

Her impact continued to soar as her jerseys quickly sold out in all sizes within an hour of hitting the Fanatics store, making her the top jersey seller on a draft night in the company's history.

If you didn't order your #22 Fever jersey immediately following the draft, you will have to wait a few months to get one.

Fanatics is currently taking pre-orders for the next batch of Nike jerseys for Clark, but it won't be shipping until August sometime.

"Caitlin Clark is #22 on the Indiana Fever! We are currently sold out of our initial batch of this jersey - if you choose to place a pre-order today, our restock will be available to ship in August, please see details below. Please trust that we are working hard to service your order," a message reads on the Fanatics website.

And if you decide to order from Dick's Sporting Goods, you'll have to wait longer since they aren't shipping until October!

"Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin said that Caitlin Clark had the highest-selling jersey on draft night of any athlete in any sport in the company's history," the Sporting Tribune's Arash Markazi shared on X.

On Tuesday evening, Clark achieved a historic milestone by becoming the inaugural two-time recipient of the AAU James E. Sullivan Award.

Instituted in 1930, this prestigious honor is bestowed annually upon the "nation's premier athlete at the Olympic, Collegiate, or analogous elite echelon."

"The AAU Sullivan Award is an incredible honor," Clark said via Zoom because she was unable to attend the ceremony, according to the AP.

"I have been inspired by so many athletes that came before me and I hope I can be that same inspiration for the next generation to follow their dreams."

Before the WNBA Draft, Ice Cube revealed his desire to bring Clark to his BIG3 league.

"We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship. But I won’t deny what’s now already out there: BIG3 made a historic offer to Caitlin Clark. Why wouldn’t we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3," he wrote in his Instagram caption.

"The skeptics laughed when we made Nancy Lieberman the first female coach of a men’s pro team, and she won the championship in her first year. Then Lisa Leslie won it all in year two. With our offer, Caitlin Clark can make history and break down even more barriers for women athletes."

BIG3 co-founder Jeff Kwatinetz recently revealed that Clark would have made more than $15 million if she signed with the league rather than fully committing to the WNBA. It was reported that she would have made $10 million in salary over two years, as well as a percentage of team ownership, 50 percent of merchandising revenues from her name and likeness, and ownership of a BIG3 documentary.