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Caitlin Clark is undoubtedly the most famous women’s basketball player on the planet right now. She became the #1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft owing to her record-breaking career with the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Clark has become a superstar across sports, catapulting women's basketball into unchartered territories. As many as 19 million people watched the 2024 national championship final between Iowa and South Carolina.
Her final year was full of landmarks as she broke Pete Maravich's D1 scoring record en route to her second straight NCAA women's final appearance this April. With this came a flurry of offers for her shoes.
Puma expressed interest before withdrawing upon hearing that the bidding would commence at $3 million annually. Under Armour proposed a $16 million deal spanning four years, while Adidas tabled a $6 million contract for the same period, both including a signature shoe component.
However, Clark ended up signing with Nike for $28 million in a deal that would span eight years. Moreover, she will get her signature shoe as well.
Former NBA star links Caitlin Clark’s arrival in WNBA to other moments in sports history
Former NBA star JJ Redick has shared his thoughts on Caitlin Clark's arrival in the WNBA.
In a recent episode of "The Old Man and the Three" podcast hosted by JJ Redick and Tommy Alter, Redick suggested Caitlin Clark, picked first overall by the Indiana Fever in the WNBA draft, is related to "other important moments in sports." He said:
"I think about this moment, as it relates to other important moments. If you paid attention at this college basketball season, you know that Clark is a media driver. She's a ratings driver." [2:00 onwards]
He then touched on how the hype around Caitlin Clark's arrival in the WNBA is strikingly similar to NBA greats like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan. He said:
"The league, in some ways, can be traced back to Magic [Johnson] and Larry [Bird], and Michael [Jordan], Clark is one of those types of athletes. Athletes we have seen in the last three or four years." [4:15 onwards]
