Caitlin Clark snubbed 3 offers before $28m Nike deal including Steph Curry bid

Caitlin Clark was approached by Puma, Adidas and Under Armour to make a signature shoe, though ultimately landed with Nike on an eight-year, $28 million shoe deal

Caitlin Clark received offers from several sportswear giants before putting pen to paper on an eight-year, $28 million shoe deal with Nike.

The former Iowa guard was selected No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever in last week’s WNBA Draft, bringing an end to her historic collegiate career. Behind her 31.6 points per game, the Hawkeyes reached a second consecutive national championship game, though they eventually lost to undefeated South Carolina.

It didn’t take long for apparel companies to approach Clark, the face of women’s college basketball, about creating a signature shoe. According to the Wall Street Journal, Puma, Adidas, Nike and Under Armour were all in the running to acquire her talents the moment she turned pro.

During the NBA All-Star weekend back in February, Clark’s agents reportedly informed her brand suitors that it would take a minimum of $3 million to partner with the 22-year-old. The exorbitant price tag was too high for Puma, which promptly dropped out of the Clark sweepstakes.

The remaining three companies, however, pulled out all the stops in an attempt to land Clark. Adidas held an hour-long Zoom meeting with the basketball phenom, later sending her multiple pairs of shoes and a prototype of what a signature model could look like. Adidas is said to have offered Clark a four-year, $6 million deal, which paled in comparison to the other proposals.

Under Armour came in with the second-highest offer at $16 million over four years. It’s believed Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry participated in Clark’s pitch, which featured a signature shoe along with millions of dollars provided.

Despite Under Armour’s best efforts, it was ultimately Nike that signed Clark to a contract that’ll earn her $3.5 million per year. The healthy payout is far greater than what she’ll be making annually in the WNBA on a four-year, $338,056 deal.

Per the Wall Street Journal report, Nike’s initial offer didn’t include a signature shoe. The corporation intended on making Clark the female face of its Kobe Bryant line at first, but later added her own shoe to its offer

Though Clark’s agreement with Nike stands as the most lucrative shoe deal ever given to a women’s basketball player, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy insisted it wasn’t high enough.

“If people want to complain about Caitlin Clark getting screwed complain about this. 8 year 28 million deal is STEALING,” he wrote on X. “8 years 80 million min is her worth and that’s still prob too cheap. I hope she has an early opt out if they don’t pay up when she blows through this deal.”

In response to one critic who claimed that few people would want to buy a female athlete’s shoe, Portnoy said: “Men would 100% buy her sneakers. All girls who play hoop will. Devin Booker got 5 years 50 million. Caitlin is 100x the Star and impact.”