When Caitlin Clark joined the Nike family in 2022, everyone expected the brand to leverage her name just like they did with Michael Jordan. So, when she signed an 8-year, $28 million contract with the brand (which included a signature shoe!), it looked like we were heading in that direction. But as Clark’s rookie season comes to a close, nothing seems to have materialized, and that’s allowed one of her other sponsors to steal the limelight.

On Wednesday, the Indiana Fever guard posted a few pictures on Instagram, bidding adieu to her rookie season – one made for the record books. Appreciating everyone who supported her throughout the year, she wrote, “Year one ✅ — thank you to the many people who have supported me as I’ve been able to live my childhood dream. I’m filled with gratitude as I reflect on this past year of my life. See you all in year two 🖤💫” This gave Wilson the opportunity to further establish just how invested they are in Clark.

The $6 billion-worth brand, whom the No. 22 Fever guard signed with in May, commented, “Incredible season, Caitlin. We can’t wait to see what’s to come! 🔥🤝🫡” And it was, in fact, an incredible season. After all, just two days later, the WNBA named Caitlin Clark their Rookie of the Year following a near-unanimous vote. This title speaks for itself, don’t you think? But if you want numbers to go with it, here are a few…

Caitlin Clark became the highest assist maker in the W during a single season, making 337. She also recorded the most assists in a game (19). Additionally, the 22-year-old was the first rookie to score a triple-double and ended the regular season by recording one more. If that wasn’t enough, Clark had the most points by a W rookie (769). To top it all, she finished with the second-most three-pointers in a single season (122; a rookie record), next to Sabrina Ionescu.

Moreover, her exceptional gameplay helped the Fever qualify for the playoffs, a feat they hadn’t achieved since 2016. What’s even more interesting is the impact on viewership that Clark seemed to have had on the WNBA. After the Fever was ousted from Round 1 of the playoffs at the hands of the Connecticut Sun, the league’s ratings have fallen off a cliff. That final game garnered 2.54 million viewers. Since then, the highest number has been 929,000 viewers. Considering all that she’s achieved in her rookie season, Wilson made the most out of the opportunity to show their support.

After the WNBA named her the ROTY, Wilson posted a picture of her on Instagram, congratulating her on the achievement. But it looked like they (like everyone else) saw it coming, especially owing to all the records she’s broken this season. “Made for becoming Rookie of the Year,” they wrote. When Caitlin Clark signed with Wilson, the deal was for a signature basketball line. And unlike Nike’s signature shoe deal, the $6 billion-worth brand actually made do on their promise.

Besides celebrating every achievement of hers throughout the season, Wilson released Clark’s Limitless Series of basketballs in July, just two months after bringing her on board. And to no one’s surprise, they sold out pretty quickly. Within hours, if not minutes. And Wilson knew it had to restock, seeing how popular this collection became. And every time they did, it sold out just as quickly. Well, the same can’t be said for Clark’s Nike products… because there aren’t any. But that’s not to say the American giant didn’t celebrate the 22-year-old.

After she won ROTY, Nike Basketball tweeted a thread of every record Caitlin Clark broke this season. They wrote, “Is there a rookie record for rookie records?” As nice as that post may have been, it didn’t take away from the fact that Nike has been eerily quiet throughout the year when it comes to the Fever guard. And that was evident in the comments under the post, with fans calling the brand out for ‘finally taking notice’ of Clark. Nike’s silence during the No. 22’s rookie season was in stark contrast to all that they did to celebrate her time in Iowa.

• A tribute video: The night Clark broke Pete Maravich’s NCAA all-time scoring record, Nike posted a clever video wherein an announcer listed out every achievement she has to her name. And the list was so mind-bogglingly long that they had to stop and take a breath! It aired at halftime during the game against Ohio State.
• Billboards: Nike put up billboards across Iowa City with quotes depicting Clark’s story to the top. It included ones like, “Caitlin Clark is the biggest star in basketball.”
• Banners: Known for their outside-their-box thinking, Nike hung two huge banners in Iowa City. One of them was the No. 22 making a jump shot, with the basketball in the frame. The other – which was installed across the street – had a hoop and the words, “It was never a long shot.” Seen together, it looked like Clark was actually making a basket.

Compared to how much they promoted the star in her final season with the Iowa Hawkeyes, Nike hasn’t done much to celebrate Caitlin Clark in her rookie campaign. Probably the only collaboration that made headlines was the custom Nike Kobe 5 Protro PE sneakers in a predominantly yellow and black colorway that Clark debuted in July. “It’s pretty cool. I feel like it’s Fever but it’s also Iowa, so you’ve got the best of both worlds,” she said about the shoes.

“I’ve got another one that you’ll probably see me wear later on that is even more Fever, so just wait for that one,” Clark hinted at her signature shoe. But that hasn’t been launched yet. On the other hand, Wilson has stocked and restocked Clark’s signature basketballs, watching them sell out one after the other – with both them and the 22-year-old benefitting. Moreover, it doesn’t help Nike much, as they were criticized recently by Rachel DeMita.

Nike received flak from Rachel DeMita over Caitlin Clark

Since Nike signed Clark, there have been no major announcements. While Clark is expected to have her own shoes by 2026-27, Nike seems to be busy with taking this year’s MVP, A’ja Wilson, to new heights. This could hurt Clark since, at the time of the historic $28 million deal, even Under Armour was looking to sign Clark for $16 million for a period of 4 years. However, the Des Moines-born chose Nike as her preferred brand, which now, in retrospect, doesn’t look to be the best decision. And DeMita slammed the brand for the same.

“Her WNBA season has come and gone, and with that, Nike has not done one thing to promote her. We have not seen any commercials, we have not seen any ads, we have not seen any Caitlin Clark merchandise, and we, for sure as he, have not seen any Caitlyn Clark signature shoes. It is mind-blowing!” DeMita enunciated before expressing, “By a year-by-year basis, she would actually be making more per year.”

Hopefully, Nike will take lessons from the recent developments and make sure to market Clark’s image as a high-profile athlete. And perhaps before she makes a comeback next season, she would have already won hearts, if not with her shoes, then with her merchandise.