Caitlin Clark is reportedly signing a new contract with Nike, which will lead to the development of her own signature shoe, as several outlets reported last week.
The new deal for the No. 1 pick in this year’s WNBA draft will be worth more than $20 million, per The Athletic. It could be worth up to $28 million, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Clark signed an NIL deal with Nike in 2022 while at the University of Iowa. The contract expired when her college career ended earlier this month.
The new contract is likely a smart move by Nike, since almost everything Clark-related is flying off the shelves. Within an hour of Clark being drafted, Fanatics announced it had sold out its initial batch of Clark’s new Indiana Fever jerseys.
The jersey is now only available for preorder and won’t ship until August — near the end of the WNBA season — according to Fanatics.
Which WNBA players have a signature shoe?
If the deal goes forward as reported, Clark will be only the second active WNBA player with a signature Nike shoe, joining Sabrina Ionescu, and the third active WNBA player with a signature shoe — Breanna Stewart has a shoe with Puma, according to USA Today.
Elena Delle Donne also has a signature shoe with Nike but is taking a break from basketball this season, ESPN reported in February.
Why is there backlash against Caitlin Clark’s signature shoe?
While Clark getting her own shoe is an exciting moment for women’s basketball, reporting on the deal has resulted in some backlash on social media.
The problem some fans have with the deal is that the only WNBA players with a signature shoe are white.
Some argue that the Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson, who is considered one of the best players in the league, should have gotten her own shoe before Clark, who hasn’t played a WNBA game yet.
During last season’s WNBA Finals, Aces head coach Becky Hammon was asked if Wilson deserved her own shoe.
“She needs her own shoe,” Hammon said, according to USA Today. “She is the two-time MVP. I’ll toot her horn because she won’t. Olympic gold medalist, best defensive player two years running, her team’s (success).”
Wilson is signed by Nike and has her own Cosmic Unity 3 colorway that launched last year, according to HypeBeast.
After news of Clark’s deal broke, Wilson’s teammate Sydney Colson joined in and poked fun at Wilson getting passed over.
“I meeeaaan, I might get a shoe before (A’ja Wilson) at this rate,” she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
How social media reacted to Caitlin Clark’s shoe backlash
On social media, some fans expressed their disappointment over Nike neglecting to give Wilson a shoe and instead choosing Clark.
Here are some of their reactions:
Other fans have defended the decision, pointing to Clark’s marketability.