Nike to begin selling Caitlin Clark T-shirts
Caitlin Clark signed with Nike back in October. The endorsement deal was an obvious long-term play for the sportswear brand, as the Iowa basketball star is expected to eventually be a top pick in the WNBA draft.
When she actually decides to leave Iowa for the league has yet to be determined. She is eligible for the 2024 WNBA draft but hasn’t ruled out even returning to Iowa for a fifth year. While Clark is playing for the Hawkeyes, however, she is repping the swoosh because Iowa has an apparel deal with Nike.
The 6-foot combo guard became the first player in women’s or men’s NCAA tournament history to record a 40-point triple-double on Sunday night. She has Iowa playing in its first Final Four since 1993. Fans on social media are already asking Nike to drop Clark’s signature sneaker.
That might be a few years away. But Nike is expected to soon launch Clark’s name and number tees and sweatshirts. On her website, the junior is teasing the release. And Nike states the classic-fit apparel is “coming soon.”
The t-shirt will be sold for $35 with the fleece marked at $70.
Nike has not been the most active in selling athlete-centric merchandise. That’s obviously changing with the major name Clark is developing into. Under Armour released shirzees ahead of March Madness with the Maryland, Notre Dame, South Carolina and Utah women’s basketball teams.
Because of NIL, the women’s basketball star will turn a profit from the sales. The power of Clark’s brand doesn’t stop there. On Monday morning, she released her multiple skills camp dates which sold out by 5 p.m. ET. Sponsored by Hy-Vee, camp registration costs $175.
In the last week alone, she’s inked partnerships with Buick and Goldman Sach’s 10,000 Small Businesses Voices campaign. She has preexisting deals with Topps and H&R Block.
Iowa’s Final Four opponent will be determined Monday night. Clark is averaging 30 points and 11 assists through four NCAA tournament games. She’s also shooting over 47 percent from 3-point range, hitting 19 treys.
Caitlin Clark’s rising On3 NIL Valuation
There’s no doubt the NCAA tournament gives college basketball players a unique platform, which Clark has greatly benefitted from. The Iowa basketball player has added more than 35,000 Instagram followers alone in the last week. She’s added roughly 5,000 TikTok followers, too.
Clark has a $160,000 On3 NIL Valuation, which ranks No. 12 in women’s basketball. The evaluation is expected to jump significantly when the valuations are updated Tuesday morning.
The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation calculates an athlete’s NIL value using dynamic data points targeting three primary categories: performance, influence and exposure.
About On3 NIL Valuation, Brand Value, Roster Value
While the algorithm includes deal data, it does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals athletes have completed to date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL valuation for their entire career.
The On3 NIL Valuation accounts for an athlete’s roster value and brand value. Roster value is the value an athlete has by being a member of his or her team at his or her school, which factors into the role of NIL collectives. Brand value factors in an athlete’s personal brand and the value it could bring to regional and national brands outside of the scope of NIL collectives.