Caitlin Clark debuted in her first Indiana Fever workout on Tuesday, and video of the shootaround went viral.
The No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft last week, Clark took a variety of shots in the 15-second video as she went 5-5 shooting. Clark became the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer with 3,951 points at Iowa this year before the Fever took her with the top pick.
She will take the court as a member of the Fever for the first time on May 3 in the preseason against the Dallas Wings. WNBA training camps open on April 28.
Clark’s impact on the WNBA has been palpable of late such as the teams selling out games left and right. Her jersey sales alone went higher than any athlete in Fanatics history according to CEO Michael Rubin via The Sporting Tribune’s Arash Markazi.
Caitlin Clark to Sign $28 Million Nike Deal
Clark’s impact carries over to the sports shoe industry where she will sign an eight-year, $28 million deal with Nike.
“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,” The Associated Press reported on Tuesday.
Other shoe companies such as Adidas, Puma, and Under Armour pursued deals with Clark, The Associated Press wrote. Clark previously had a NIL deal from her time at Iowa.
While Clark is done being an athlete at Iowa, she will continue her degree in marketing during her pro career. The Academic All-American Team Member of the Year, Clark has a 3.65 GPA according to Athlon Sports.
Caitlin Clark’s Olympic Audition Through Early WNBA Play
Clark will get her chance at playing in the Olympics this summer in Paris by first impressing USA Basketball selection committee chair Jennifer Rizzotti.
“You always want to introduce new players into the pool whether it’s for now or the future,” Rizzotti told The Associated Press. “We stick to our principles of talent, obviously, positional fit, loyalty and experience. It’s got to be a combination of an entire body of work. It’s still not going to be fair to some people.”
Clark couldn’t attend Team USA’s training camp in early April because of the Final Four. She helped the Hawkeyes reach the Final Four in Cleveland where the team edged UConn 71-69 but fell to South Carolina 87-75.
“You always want to grow up and be on the Olympic team,” Clark said via People.com. “Lucky for me, I have the opportunity to possibly not doing that because I want to be at the Final Four playing basketball with my team. But if not, that’s where I’ll be. People that are on that roster are people that I idolize and have idolized growing up. So just to be extended a camp invite is something you have to be proud of and celebrate and enjoy.”
WNBA rookies have made the Olympic team before, and Clark played Junior Olympic basketball in the past. Rizzotti sees the value of bringing in new players whether or not Clark makes the cut.
We stick to our principles of talent, obviously, positional fit, loyalty and experience. It’s got to be a combination of an entire body of work. It’s still not going to be fair to some people,” Rizzotti said via People.com.
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