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Caitlin Clark is set to sign a new Nike deal valued at $28 million over 8 years, reports say

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Caitlin Clark is set to sign a new Nike deal valued at $28 million over 8 years, reports say
Sport

Sport

Caitlin Clark is set to sign a new Nike deal valued at $28 million over 8 years, reports say

2024-04-24 06:14 Last Updated At:14:50

Caitlin Clark appears to be on the cusp of setting another record.

The most prolific scorer in NCAA Division I history and the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft will continue her association with Nike by signing a $28 million contract that spans eight years and includes a signature shoe.

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Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark reacts during an interview during the WNBA basketball draft Monday, April 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Caitlin Clark appears to be on the cusp of setting another record.

A customer looks over Caitlin Clark merchandise in the Indiana Fever team store in Indianapolis, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. The Fever selected Clark Clark as the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA basketball draft. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

A customer looks over Caitlin Clark merchandise in the Indiana Fever team store in Indianapolis, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. The Fever selected Clark Clark as the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA basketball draft. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Caitlin Clark is set to sign a new Nike deal valued at $28 million over 8 years, reports say

Caitlin Clark is set to sign a new Nike deal valued at $28 million over 8 years, reports say

Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark holds her jersey following a WNBA basketball news conference, Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark holds her jersey following a WNBA basketball news conference, Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Caitlin Clark is set to sign a new Nike deal valued at $28 million over 8 years, reports say

Caitlin Clark is set to sign a new Nike deal valued at $28 million over 8 years, reports say

The Wall Street Journal and The Athletic reported the pending deal, citing unnamed people familiar with the negotiations between the sportswear giant and Clark's agents.

Excel Sports Management, which represents Clark, declined to comment. Nike did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

Clark's initial name, image and likeness deal, signed in 2022, expired at the end of the 2023-24 season.

The new deal would be the richest sponsorship contract for a women’s basketball player.

Under Armour and Adidas also participated in contract discussions with Clark's team in February, according to the WSJ and Athletic. Puma also showed some interest but walked away when told the bidding would start at $3 million per year, according to the WSJ.

Clark received offers of $16 million over four years from Under Armour and $6 million over four years from Adidas, with both including a signature shoe, according to the WSJ.

Clark earned about $3 million in NIL money at Iowa with deals she has had with State Farm, Gatorade and others, according to On3.com.

Clark's agents were working on the new Nike contract even before she announced she would turn pro instead of return to Iowa for a fifth season under the COVID-19 exemption offered to players in college during the 2020 pandemic season.

After averaging 31.6 points and leading the Hawkeyes to a second straight national championship game, Clark was drafted No. 1 by the Indiana Fever on April 15. She'll earn a $76,000 salary as a rookie.

She's been the main driver for the dramatic uptick in women's basketball interest with her mix of deep 3-point shots, flashy thread-the-needle passes and overall court presence. A women's basketball-record 18.9 million viewers watched Iowa's loss to South Carolina in the NCAA title game, and a WNBA-record 2.45 million watched the draft.

Of the Fever’s 40 games this season, 36 will be nationally televised, and ticket sales have skyrocketed around the league.

Her marketability is enhanced by her polished performances in media settings, and her surprise appearance on “Saturday Night Live” two weeks ago was widely acclaimed and exposed her to an even wider audience.

The reported eight-year contract with Nike shows the sportswear giant's commitment. At 22, Clark could play well over a decade in the WNBA and she could be on the U.S. roster for the Olympics in Paris this year, in Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane, Australia, in 2032.

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark reacts during an interview during the WNBA basketball draft Monday, April 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark reacts during an interview during the WNBA basketball draft Monday, April 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

A customer looks over Caitlin Clark merchandise in the Indiana Fever team store in Indianapolis, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. The Fever selected Clark Clark as the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA basketball draft. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

A customer looks over Caitlin Clark merchandise in the Indiana Fever team store in Indianapolis, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. The Fever selected Clark Clark as the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA basketball draft. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Caitlin Clark is set to sign a new Nike deal valued at $28 million over 8 years, reports say

Caitlin Clark is set to sign a new Nike deal valued at $28 million over 8 years, reports say

Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark holds her jersey following a WNBA basketball news conference, Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark holds her jersey following a WNBA basketball news conference, Wednesday, April 17, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Caitlin Clark is set to sign a new Nike deal valued at $28 million over 8 years, reports say

Caitlin Clark is set to sign a new Nike deal valued at $28 million over 8 years, reports say

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Aaron Thomas, one of the most prolific receiving tight ends in the history of the New York Giants, died last week at his home in Corvallis, Oregon, following a lengthy illness. He was 86.

The Giants announced Thomas' death Friday. The team said he died on April 26.

Thomas played 116 regular-season games for the Giants between 1962 and 1970. He ranks 17th in franchise history with 254 receptions, 14th with 4,253 yards and is tied for sixth with 35 touchdown catches. He missed only seven games in his career because of injury.

“He’s almost like the early version of (Kansas City Chiefs tight end) Travis Kelce,” his son, Robb Thomas, who played a decade in the league, told the team's website. "He was a tight end and flanker, but he really ran good routes and had a good feel about getting into open space.”

A fourth-round draft pick in 1961, Thomas was traded to the Giants after two games in 1962. Two years later, Thomas led the Giants with 43 receptions for 624 yards and six touchdowns and was selected to the Pro Bowl. In 1967, he posted career-high totals of 51 catches, 877 yards and nine scores. He retired following the 1970 season.

After his NFL career, Thomas became a stockbroker in Los Angeles before he and his father bought a restaurant/bar/bowling alley in Yreka, California. Thomas later moved to Oregon, where he was the head football coach at Klamath Falls High School for three years in the early 1980s. He then returned to his alma mater, Oregon State, where he was the assistant director of the Beaver Club until 1989.

Thomas is survived by his wife, Joan, and children Troy, Robb, Lance and Leslie.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

New York Giants football player Aaron Thomas posed in 1968. Aaron Thomas, one of the most prolific receiving tight ends in the history of the New York Giants, died last week at his home in Corvallis, Oregon, following a lengthy illness. He was 86. The Giants announced Thomas' death Friday, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/File)

New York Giants football player Aaron Thomas posed in 1968. Aaron Thomas, one of the most prolific receiving tight ends in the history of the New York Giants, died last week at his home in Corvallis, Oregon, following a lengthy illness. He was 86. The Giants announced Thomas' death Friday, May 3, 2024. (AP Photo/File)

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