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.
Caitlyn Clark with a three from the parking lot to break the NCAAW all-time scoring record. Legend pic.twitter.com/vH8H8uiKGy
— Ethan Cadeaux (@Ethan_Cadeaux) February 16, 2024
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.
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.
