After $28 Million Nike Deal Ensued Chaos, Stephen A. Smith Reflects on Caitlin Clark’s Success

Caitlin Clark. That’s it. That’s the first name that comes to mind when speaking of women’s basketball. She has single-handedly brought a lot of attention to the sport. So much so that she is an icon beyond comparison. The same fact was highlighted when Clark signed an 8-year, $28 million deal with Nike. This made it the most acclaimed deal for a women’s basketball player in history.

Noting the same, lauded journalist Stephen A. Smith spoke of Clark’s impact on women’s basketball in his highly watched “The Stephen A. Smith Show.” And that had the fans gushing over Clark.

Stephen A. Smith praises Caitlin Clark

Smith spoke at length in one of his segments regarding Clark. He mentioned both her on-court and off-court accomplishments, which brought a lot of joy to Clark fans, and they found more reasons to revere their idol. “Caitlyn Clark remember that girl that Superstar playing for Iowa that ended up going to the final four before losing to South Carolina in the national championship game I mean remember her Caitlyn Clark continues to set the bar when it comes to her impact on female athletics,” Smith stated.

Notably, Clark was the alpha for the team with 31.6 points per game, 7.4 rebounds per match, and 8.9 assists per contest. She took her varsity team to back-to-back championship games and was a major threat to the opposing teams. Despite losing both championship finals, all her contenders would accept that Clark had to be thoroughly screened for them to enjoy the fruits of her hard work.

“She’s got one of the hottest selling jerseys in sports y’all according to Fanatics led by the one and only Michael Rubin Clark’s Indiana Fever Jersey is apparently sold out in all sizes. It was rumored that she actually outsold Dallas Cowboy jerseys although that hasn’t been entirely confirmed of course because that would be a feat,” Smith remarked.

Clark’s presence made the NCAA tickets sell out like hotcakes. It was due to her that most of the stadiums were full houses, and the viewership on television touched record figures. The NCAA 2024 women’s finale was watched by 18.7 million people, whereas the male counterpart had 14.8 million viewers. Therefore, considering the charm Clark had, it is normal that her jerseys could have been sold out.

“But in addition to the jersey sales, Clark now has an 8-year, $28 million deal with Nike that will include her own signature shoe. The deal is the richest sponsorship contract for a women’s basketball player. She deserves it,” Smith explained. 

And now, with the latest Nike contract, Clark has taken it up a notch. As mentioned earlier, this has been the most lucrative deal for women’s basketball players in history, and fans would be hoping that Nike and Clark’s collaboration churns out products that up the ante of the Clark fever. Smith also mentioned other basketball athletes who might benefit from Clark’s fame.

Stephen A. Smith thinks Caitlin Clark’s emergence will benefit all

“All of a sudden, we gon see A’ja Wilson, she may get some more shine coz she’s that girl. Diana Taurasi will get more shine because we know what she brings to the table. Ionescu, she’s going to get more shine,” Smith expounded. As per him, with Clark’s emergence, the women’s sport will get more recognition. This may lead to brilliant women athletes creating a space in the hearts of the WNBA fans.

With Smith’s praise for Clark, fans would have been overjoyed. And they would be hoping that not only Smith but other sports journalists too continue to shower applause on the once-in-a-generation star.