Iowa Hawkeyes sharp-shooter Caitlin Clark made history on Thursday, passing Washington’s Kelsey Plum as the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I women’s basketball.
Clark dropped a career-high 49 points at home on Thursday against Michigan and broke the record set in 2017, with one of her patented logo threes with 7:48 left in the first quarter. Clark was just seven points from the record, so she shattered it with her top performance of the year, and she’s still not done.
Caitlin Clark Passes Sheduer Sanders On Fanatics Top-Selling NIL Athlete
Wiithin hours of breaking the record, Cark became Fanatics’ top-selling NIL athlete, according to data provided to Front Office Sports by the retail giant, passing Colorado’s lauded quarterback Shedeur Sanders in total sales since Fanatics began selling athlete-branded college gear in 2022, a year after the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in the NCAA v. Alston case that birthed the produced the first NIL guidelines and influenced the explosion of deals.
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of college athletes in June of 2021. It found that the NCAA did violate antitrust law by limiting the amount of “non-cash education-related benefits” that schools can offer FBS football and basketball players.
According to Fanatics, the gear that elevated Clark to the top of the branding chart included a T-shirt bearing the “You break it, you own it” slogan that Nike featured on social media after Clark set the scoring record.
Another hot seller was the autographed Topps Now trading card commemorating Clark’s scoring feat which sold out in less than 10 minutes. Cards from that Fanatics Collectibles series are listed for as much as $1,750 on Ebay.
Caitlin Clark has been compared To Michael Jordan
The female version of Pete Maravich (thus her nickname ‘Ponytail Pete’) went 16 of 31 from the field, including 9-for-18 from 3, with 13 assists and five rebounds.
She’s already been compared to Michael Jordan as a transformative athlete, and she’s been credited by several publications for elevating the woman’s game and transcending anything we’ve ever seen.
She’s been called a rare generational athlete. Whether you’re buying or selling, the hype is real. Therefore, the money that she’s worth and her brand potential is through the roof.
When Nike comes calling, you already know you’ve entered a legendary stratosphere and Clark hooked up with the footwear giant in fall 2022. The sharp-shooter became one of the brand’s first NIL basketball players along with Bronny James, Jaley Jones, DJ Wagner and USC freshman sensation Juju Watkins
Clark’s 2022 Nike NIL deal believed to be worth $818,000 annually
There are no specific figures released for Clark’s Nike, but the total annual projected value for her NIL deals is $818,000, according to On3. That makes her the fourth-highest ranked among women’s college basketball players — behind Angel Reese, Flau’jae Johnson, and Haley Cavinder — and 40th overall in athlete NIL valuation.
According to On3, which tracks NIL deals and monitors college sports, the top 10 NIL earners by valuation entering 2024 were: Bronny James ($5.9M), Shedeur Sanders ($4.6M), Livvy Dunne ($3.2M), Arch Manning ($2.8M), Caleb Williams ($2.8M), Travis Hunter ($2.2M), Angel Reese ($1.7M), Bo Nix ($1.5M), J.J. McCarthy ($1.4M) and Spencer Rattler ($1.4M).
As the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, Clark is expected to continue her relationship with Nike as a full-fledged pro and her next deal is projected to be in the millions.
Caitlyn Clark has projected total net worth of roughly $5M
Through Clark’s NIL deal with Nike, Iowa’s entire women’s basketball brand has elevated. Nike sells official Iowa Hawkeyes jerseys, T-shirts and sweatshirts with her name on them. This is transcending, because prior to the arrival of NIL deals players couldn’t benefit from a jersey with their name on it, but the university could surely sell it.
Clark can thank ex UCLA Bruin Ed O’Bannon and others for that current financial privilege. Nike also began selling T-shirts and sweatshirts bearing her name and number leading into last year’s NCAA Tournament, both of which are still on sale now.
Caitlyn Clark endorsements
Clark has also collaborated on deals with Gatorade, State Farm, Buick, H&R Block, the Midwestern and Southern grocery store chain Hy-Vee and 10,000 Small Businesses Voices, that reportedly pay her close to $1M.
Clark’s stock is rising everyday, but as of now, according to multiple reports, Clark’s net worth is estimated to fall between $3 million and $5 million.
Clark’s State Farm deal is an NIL first and makes her a pitch person for the company that currently employs NFL three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes and NBA star Chris Paul.
Baseball got a piece of Clark-mania as well. In 2022, Topps signed a licensing deal with Clark to use her likeness in their iconic trading cards. She also signed a deal with the Chicago Cubs’ minor league affiliate, the Iowa Cubs.
Clark Is already a living legend: Product of NIL Age
Caitlin’s Clark’s assault on the scoring records isn’t done. She’s on pace to break the men’s scoring record, set by the aforementioned Pistol Pete Maravich in 1970 (3,667 points) in just three seasons.
She should also pass the pioneer Lynette Woodard, who set the all-time women’s college scoring record at Kansas from 1977-81 (3,649 points), prior to when the NCAA ran college hoops. Therefore, Woodward’s records stand only in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) record books.
Woodard didn’t have the benefit of the world seeing and respecting her mastery on the court. Clark is being spoken about in legendary terms and is already being burdened with taking women’s hoops to a new level once she hits the WNBA. She has the Nike machine behind her and there are some hungry veterans who can’t wait to see if she has the goods on the biggest stage against the world’s best women players.
The NCAA Women’s Tournament will be one of the most watched of all-time and the hype surrounding Clark (and don’t forget Angel Reese) might outshine the men’s tournament for the first time since … last season.
Every shared moment on social media that coincides with rare moments on the court is another dollar for these deserving superstar athletes.
