CAITLIN Clark earns a salary of just $76,535 a year despite being the new face of the WNBA.
But the Indiana Fever star has already built an impressive business empire thanks to a series of lucrative endorsement deals.
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Clark is set to sign an eight-year contract with Nike worth up to $28 million, including potential bonuses.
Rival sportswear companies Under Armor and Adidas also made pitches to Clark, with Steph Curry even meeting with her in person for an Under Armor sales pitch.
However, it was Nike who won the bidding war and secured Clark on their roster of athletes for the foreseeable future, for Atlético.
Her Nike contract is worth 368 times her WNBA debut contract.
Read more about Caitlin Clark
This means the WNBA star will earn at least $3.5 million a year and will likely get her own exclusive footwear.
Clark, who majored in marketing in college, first signed a contract with Nike in late 2022 during his time at Iowa.
“I grew up watching Nike athletes from all sports play,” Clark said in a statement.
Clark took advantage of his partnership with Nike and gifted to his entire team Kyler Murray’s exclusive sneakers for January.
She secured a number of other NIL businesses in college, including blue-chip companies such as Gatorade, State Farm, Buick, Bose, Topps, and Panini America.
Other deals included Shoot-A-Way, Hy-Vee, H&R Block, Goldman Sachs and The Vinyl Studio.
Its 11 known NIL deals are worth a combined estimate of $3.1 million, according to On3.
Clark, who has more than 2.2 million followers on Instagram, works with Excel Sports Management to secure sponsorship deals.
She even shares an agent with NFL legend Peyton Manning,
Despite all his gains off the court, Clark has remained focused on basketball.
“To be perfectly honest, I feel like it hasn’t changed much from how I’ve lived my life over the past year,” she said.
“Sponsorships remain the same. The people around me, agents and whatnot, have been able to help and guide me throughout the last year.
“I don’t know if I would be in this moment if it weren’t for a lot of them.”
MAIN MILESTONE
Clark has had plenty of reasons to celebrate on and off the court in recent weeks.
She celebrated her one-year anniversary with her boyfriend, fellow Iowa basketball star Connor McCaffery.
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The WNBA star posted a black and white photo of the couple with the caption: “A year of the best [memories] my favorite person…
“You make every day better and I can’t wait for many more adventures together… I love you.”
McCaffrey published his own post about the duo’s celebration.
“A year where the best life was easy and you never cease to amaze me,” he wrote in his Instagram.
“I can’t wait to see you live your dreams in person, I love you.”
Like his 5-foot-11 superstar girlfriend, the 6-foot-5 McCaffrey is a former University of Iowa basketball star.
He is also the son of Iowa men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery.
Clark and McCaffrey started dating last year.
It was Clark who made their relationship public last August when he posted a photo with McCaffery on a boat to his Instagram feed.
“Best end of summer”, was the message she wrote in the caption.
Since then, several messages have been posted on social media by the duo.
Caitlin Clark Fever
CAITLIN Clark’s impact was felt throughout the WNBA before she was even drafted.
The college superstar from Iowa went No. 1 overall to the Indiana Fever, a surprise to absolutely no one.
The Indiana Fever had 36 of their 40 games in the 2024 season scheduled for national TV – up from 22 last year.
Teams also moved their games against the Fever to larger arenas to meet extra ticket demand.
Clark helped the NCAA attract 18.9 million viewers to the women’s championship game, more than the 14.8 million who watched the men’s championship game.
She has also signed a contract with Nike worth more than $20 million.
McCaffery posted a birthday message to Clark on Instagram when she turned 22 in January.
“Happy birthday, 22. I wish I could be there to celebrate with you – you deserve the best day. Golden Bday/T Swift’s year will be the best yet,” he wrote.
“With everything you have already accomplished, there is so much more in store for you and your special self. I admire you in every way and I love you.”
Clark responded to the message, joking, “Acting like a quick fan is crazy but I’ll let it slide hehe.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
