Free Agent Caitlin Clark Drops Major Hint of Resigning With Nike Ahead of 2024 WNBA Draft

Before the all-important WNBA draft, Caitlin Clark made an appearance on the sets of Saturday Night Live. This was a change that fans weren’t expecting and quite a surprise from Clark. The NCAA’s all-time Division I leading scorer spoke with ESPN, regarding the pressure she endured. “You’re going into a new chapter of your life. You don’t know really what to expect. It’s different from college like I knew I could play at the highest level with the greatest teams, the blue bloods of college basketball. Iowa was always really good during my career.”

So the SNL show came as a much-needed break and Caitlin Clark showed the witty side of her personality. One thing that fans took notice of was her outfit. The jacket in question was from Nike, an oversized wool jacket. Nike had a NIL deal with Clark which ended after her collegiate career. The deal began in October 2022, and Clark described it as “Humbling.” Is the jacket some kind of hint that Nike has made another deal with the Hawkeyes guard?

According to Bri Lewerke a photographer, and social media manager, her tweet exploded on Twitter with over 1 million views. Although Nike hasn’t officially announced a new deal, her NIL deals were through the roof during her Iowa days. Let’s look at Clark’s NIL deal with Nike.

Is Caitlin Clark the most marketable athlete?

According to On3.com Caitlin Clark is valued is worth $3.4 million. Which makes her the #1 among all the collegiate women’s basketball athletes. Her NIL deals include partnerships with major brands like Nike, State Farm, Gatorade, Panini America, Xfinity, and Gainbridge, thus making her 4th highest NIL value just behind Bronny James, Shedeur Sanders, and Livvy Dunne.

Iowa has an equipment and apparel contract with Nike, which was originally agreed to in 2004. They signed her alongside Bronny James, son of NBA player LeBron James, Stanford women’s basketball player Haley Jones, DJ Wagner, and JuJu Watkins, Sierra Canyon guard.

Clark has worn Kobe Bryant shoes, mainly Kobe 5 Bruce Lee Protro and Kobe 6 Grinch Protro. On her birthday on Jan 22 this year, she gifted her teammates a pair of Nike shoes. The gifted shoes were Kyler Murray’s “Be 1 of One” Nike Dunks, which are only available on the resale market. But thanks to Nike she made it possible.

With her big draft day hours away, and the WNBA game less than a month away Caitlin Clark is expected to set the stage on fire. Just like her NIL deals many are expecting them to announce it after Clark is selected as the overall #1 draft pick.