Caitlin Clark’s $28m deal ‘one of biggest fumbles ever’ as Michael Jordan claim made
Sonny Vaccaro says that Caitlin Clark’s representatives have dropped the ball despite securing her a $28million deal with Nike in April.
The former Nike executive signed Michael Jordan to the company many moons ago, and knows the landscape incredibly well from first-hand experience – and believes that Clark could have got a better deal with the sporting giants. Speaking to TMZ, Vaccaro said: “She should have gotten a piece of everything, just like Michael Jordan.
“I’m saying to you, they messed up. They should have held on to the last drop.” NBA legend Jordan signed his first deal with the company in 1984, worth a whopping $2.5m – but he now earns five per cent on all of his products, making him the best-paid athlete in the history of the world with a net worth of around $3.5billion according to Forbes.
And while Clark has secured her own deal at $3.5m per year, the figure may not match her popularity – and Nike have also failed to capitalise fully on the impact of the 22-year-old on popular culture. The brand are still yet to drop a signature shoe for Clark, despite A’Ja Wilson and Paige Bueckers already having their own footwear lines with their respective companies, and a shoe sporting Clark’s personal touch could be a big hitter.
Vaccaro isn’t the only one who sees cracks in Clark’s deal either, with YouTuber Mick Talks Hoops explaining: “Caitlin Clark and Nike is one of the greatest fumbles in sports marketing history. I think we can say it is right now, that it is without question one of the biggest fumbles in history.
“We have got a player who is the most popular basketball player in the world right now, outside of Stephen Curry. And her agent somehow convinced her to sign an eight-year deal. It is the biggest blunder in the history of marketing. The agent that brokered this deal should never, should have been fired on the spot, should already have been fired at this stage.
Caitlin Clark has been incredible with Indiana Fever (
Getty Images)
“Because a fair deal for Caitlin Clark is 20 million a year. Then also, on the other side, Nike have completely messed it up as well with their marketing. The people in Nike have said, basically, she is not getting her signature shoe any time soon. Basically because they need to give A’ja Wilson her shoe first. They’ll release a Paige Bueckers shoe. Bueckers is getting her shoe. They did not do the same for Caitlin Clark.”
After a whirlwind 2024 season, it is expected that Clark will launch her own signature shoe in 2025. The youngster broke a number of records this year after being picked by the Indiana Fever as the first overall pick of the 2024 WNBA draft, after a stellar collegiate run with the Iowa Hawkeyes.
After helping the Fever achieve their first play-off run since 2016, Clark ended the regular season with WNBA All-Star, All-WNBA First Team, WNBA All-Rookie Team and WNBA Rookie of the Year accolades, while finishing as the league’s overall assists leader. And fans are excited to see just how far the youngster can go with Indiana next year, with new coach Stephanie White giving guidance.
