Guest post by Joe Hoft at JoeHoft.com – republished with permission
Caitlin Clark has already made more money than any player in the WNBA’s history and she hasn’t played a single game in the league.
Here is an excellent video showing the 2024 WNBA draft and Caitlin Clark’s first day with the Indianapolis Fever.
“Hi, I’m Caitlin Clark, guard for the Indiana Fever.”
We go behind the scenes of a historic @WNBA Draft in the latest episode of Fever All-Access presented by @AnthemBCBS, as we make our three selections and welcome the No. 1 overall pick to Indiana. pic.twitter.com/LSH1TzbbhJ
— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) April 23, 2024
Clark’s salary will not make her rich but her name will. As mentioned in the video above, Clark has brought a whole new fan to women’s basketball. Truth be told, I never followed women’s basketball until I saw Clark dominate in the 2023 NCAA tournament. This was enough for me to buy a ticket and go to one of her games near me.
Clark’s riches will come from advertising and marketing and this has made her a multi-millionaire without yet playing a WNBA game.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported on the battle that shoe companies took place in when trying to win Clark over. The deal was eventually done by NIKE who signed an 8 figure deal with Clark rumored at mid-8 figures (i.e. 10,000,000 or more).
Business Insider reported on the Clark deal as well.
Basketball phenom Caitlin Clark sparked outcry earlier this month over the relatively modest yearly salary of $76,535 she’s pocketing during her first year in the WNBA.
But the 22-year-old breakout will more than make up forthat amount thanks to a freshly-inked deal with Nike worth as much as $28 million over the course of eight years, The Wall Street Journal reports.
While Nike already had an endorsement deal with Clark that expired at the end of her senior season at the University of Iowa, a bidding war ensued between Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, and Puma that was the most competitive in women’s basketball history, according to the Journal.
Talks heated up at NBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis in February, when Clark’s reps at Excel Sports Management told suitors she was seeking a minimum $3 million commitment annually, according to the Journal.
The Journal also reports Clark — who is a marketing major at Iowa — was keenly involved in some of the negotiations.
Clark, who’s helped usher in a significant shift in popularity between men’s and women’s basketball, is the NCAA’s biggest-ever scorer and was the first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
She wore a $17,000 Prada getup to the event, dripping in more than $10,000 in diamonds — even as her estimated base entry salary of $76,535 raised eyebrows.
Clark may have learned a lot about basketball at Iowa but she learned a lot about marketing as well.
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