Caitlin Clark’s biggest critic speaks out on WNBA star’s mega Nike contract
Caitlin Clark has enjoyed a fine start to her WNBA career with the Indiana Fever, while she also penned a record-breaking contract with Nike after leaving college
Caitlin Clark (Image: Getty Images)
Basketball legend Sheryl Swoopes has extended a rare compliment to rising star Caitlin Clark on her Nike deal, following previous criticisms of the Indiana Fever sensation.
After Clark’s impressive inaugural WNBA season earned her Rookie of the Year honours, Swoopes raised eyebrows by downplaying her achievements, suggesting Clark had an unfair advantage in her record-breaking college stint.
Swoopes also sparked controversy by implying Clark hadn’t dominated as expected in her first WNBA season, despite widespread acclaim.
However, in a surprising about-face, Swoopes recently praised Clark while discussing her own long-standing partnership with Nike.
“I feel so lucky to be a part of the Nike basketball family for more than 30 years now. And I love to see how the brand continues to champion women’s basketball and the athletes who play it,” she said.
Elaborating on the ‘In Case You Missed It With Khristina Williams’ podcast, Swoopes added: “What really excites me today about where we are is it’s not just the things that the women are getting on the court.
You have all these women and brands who are saying, ‘We see you, we hear you, we need you’.
“So you have the Angel Reese’s, the Caitlin Clark’s, the DiJonai Carrington’s, the Rickea Jackson’s, the A’jas doing things that we only could dream of. And my very first Nike contract when I signed in [’95] was like $175,000. Which then I was like, ‘Oh my god, I’ve made it’, right?
“And today to see a player like an A’ja and a Caitlin Clark signing a $20 million contract. Like, I don’t even know what to say about that, because I never thought that I would see this day when we started the W back in ’97, where we’re sitting here actually talking about… these million-dollar contracts that female basketball players are now signing.”
Sheryl Swoopes discussed Caitlin Clark’s TIME Athlete award (Image: Youtube [Gil’s Arena])
Clark inked a historic deal with Nike in April last year, rumoured to be valued at approximately $28m over eight years. Before settling on Nike, Clark had also drawn interest from Under Armour and Adidas.
This article originally appeared on Mirror US
