While Caitlin Clark’s professional career is off to a rocky start on the court, the same can’t be said for what she’s accomplishing off the court. The former star of the Iowa Hawkeyes and current member of the Indiana Fever just raked in another endorsement deal which puts her in the elitest of company in regards to athlete sponsorships.
On Tuesday, it was announced that Clark, 22, had signed a multi-year deal with Wilson Sporting Goods, the iconic sports equipment brand which has been around since 1913. Clark’s deal will include her own signature shoe, which is a rarity amongst players of the Women’s National Basketball Association. Just three other active WNBA players have their own signature shoes in Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and A’ja Wilson, with Wilson’s debuting in 2025.
But Clark is joining an even more exclusive club, which now has just two members in it. While Wilson is the official manufacturer of basketballs for the NBA, WNBA, NCAA basketball, and more, it hasn’t partnered with many basketball players over its 100-plus years in business. In fact, the Chicago-based company had just one previous athlete endorser across all sports before this monumental deal with Clark. That sponsorship was with one Michael Jordan in the 1980s, making Clark and Jordan the only athletes to collaborate with Wilson Sporting Goods.
In a press statement announcing the deal, Clark mentioned she played with a Wilson basketball while growing up in West Des Moines, Iowa. So, this amounts to a full-circle moment.
Clark graduated from the University of Iowa earlier this month with a degree in marketing, and she’ll be lending more than just her name and image to Wilson in this historic deal. The company said another part of Clark’s role “includes testing, advising, and providing feedback on a range of basketball gear, thinking of specific silhouettes that make it easier to hoop in and certain fabrics that function outside of just being aesthetically pleasing,” per the press statement.
Wilson has already announced three limited edition Clark basketballs, each with their own theme. The “Threes Up” basketball features an image of Clark making her traditional celebration with her three fingers raised after a made three-pointer. The “Record Breaker” basketball features Clark with her palms raised, which is the pose she struck after breaking so many scoring records at Iowa. Finally, the “Crowd Maestro” basketball details Clark’s shooting form and release, which has been emulated by basketball players at all levels. All three balls are white and gold in color, with Wilson saying the white panels accommodate signatures while the gold panels add flair.
With Wilson as the manufacturer of basketballs for the NCAA women’s game, all of the records Clark set in college were done with Wilson’s balls. That includes her becoming the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer, becoming the women’s all-time leader in made three-pointers and becoming the NCAA Women’s Tournament’s all-time scoring leader.
“I think it is super special, and it’s been fun for me,” Clark said. “I feel like I was just that young kid who had those basketballs that I would store in the garage. I’m just very lucky and fortunate to partner with Wilson to create something that everyone can enjoy. It connects with a lot of generations, and it’ll be fun to see kids walking around holding them.”
Clark is also playing with Wilson basketballs in the WNBA, however she hasn’t had as much success in the pros through her first four games. The player who set so many records in college actually set a dubious record in her first professional game when she turned the ball over 10 times. That broke the WNBA’s all-time record for turnovers in a career debut, breaking the mark of Cynthia Cooper, who had eight in her debut.
Clark leads the WNBA in both turnovers per game (6.5) and fouls per game (4.3) through the first week of play. But she also leads the league in both made three-pointers (12) and attempted three-pointers (35) as she’s maintained her style of play from college.
The Fever have started the 2024 WNBA season 0-4, which is unfamiliar territory for Clark, considering how much success she had at Iowa. Clark never even had a three-game losing streak throughout her four-year college career, which included back-to-back NCAA Tournament Championship Game appearances in her last two seasons.
The Fever’s next game is on Wednesday versus the Seattle Storm, which will match up Clark—who led the NCAA in points last season —against guard Jewell Loyd—who led the WNBA in points last season.
