The Caitlin Clark brand keeps growing by the day. Having already signed a $28 million eight-year deal with Nike, Clark celebrated the launch of two new basketballs on Sunday by Wilson paying tribute to her college and WNBA career. She also enjoys brand endorsements with several other brands, but the reigning ROTY hasn’t lost sight of her childhood dream: to invest in a trillion-dollar industry.

Clark had a dream rookie season in the WNBA, notching up several records including the most points by a rookie (769) and the most assists by a rookie (337). Her talents helped the Fever reach the playoffs for the first time in eight years and while Clark is just getting started as a pro, she has her retirement plans chalked out.

Caitlin Clark joined her former Iowa Hawkeyes teammates Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall on a podcast hosted by current Hawkeye forward Jada Gyamfi. As the conversation turned to their aspirations beyond basketball, Clark opened up about a goal she’s eager to pursue, once she calls it a day.

“You ever seen them put up that like dream thing? You know it was kind of going around it said like ‘play in the WNBA and get a scholarship’. One of them said like ‘own a restaurant’. So one day I have to accomplish that,” the Des Moines native revealed on an episode of Fresh Tawk on the Taco-Bout Network.

With her net worth currently at $3.1 million, it looks like Clark is planning to move into the restaurant industry down the line. It is a booming market estimated to exceed $1.1 trillion in 2024 by the National Restaurant Association after recording $997 billion last year. On the podcast, Clark recalled a childhood tale, which drives her restaurant dream.

“It’s actually a funny story I grew up and there’s always this random open lot and I always tell my mom I was gonna open this restaurant called the Rib Shack. I don’t know why. No, it was, the Rib Crib. I wanted to open this restaurant, the Rib Crib. I was devastated when the lot got purchased and they built a retirement home on it. Literally, every time we drove by it, I told my mom, ‘That’s my lot. That’s where I am gonna build the Rib Crib,'” she mentioned.

Clark is on a four-year $338k contract with the Fever, but her net worth is boosted by endorsement deals with brands like Gatorade, State Farm, Wilson, Bose, and a few others in addition to the marquee Nike deal. While discussing her ambition to own a restaurant, Clark also revealed that she loved cooking and baking growing up.

“So hopefully one day maybe I will have a coffee shop or like a restaurant or something. Just like a fun thing once I’m done playing,” she added. She also joked about hiring her friends for different roles in the restaurant.

However, the Iowa alumna’s dream remains far as she only plans to tap into that industry once she is done playing. Right now, she is fresh off a debut season, which saw her drive record viewership and attendance numbers for the WNBA and the Indiana Fever. Her growing stature as a brand, should not detract from what she accomplished as a player in her debut season, which was yet another of her goals.

Caitlin Clark achieved the childhood dream of playing in W with a style

“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,” Clark dropped a heartfelt note after her rookie season came to an end. Although the Fever faced an early exit in the first round, she undeniably made her mark by leading the team back to the WNBA playoffs for the first time in eight years.

From the moment she stepped onto the court, the Fever’s #22 made an explosive impact, becoming the first rookie in WNBA history to achieve a triple-double. Clark also distinguished herself by making the most three-pointers ever by a rookie, even surpassing Diana Taurasi’s previous record with an impressive total of 122 three-pointers.

Moreover, the biggest effect she produced was on the league’s popularity which resulted in skyrocketing viewership and sold-out arenas. Before 2024, the record for the most-watched WNBA Draft was held by the 2004 event featuring Diana Taurasi, which attracted 600,000 viewers. In contrast, Clark’s draft day drew a staggering 2.45 million viewers, marking a remarkable 374% increase from the previous year.

Her impact lasted long enough till the season concluded. In her final regular-season game against the Washington Mystics, a record-breaking crowd of 20,711 fans filled the stands. Indiana Fever averaged 16,084 fans, nearly double the 8,552 fans seen at non-Fever games.

WNBA’s viewership got a boost as games featuring Clark averaged 1.178 million viewers on TV, nearly three times higher than the average for other WNBA games (394,000). Moreover, 20 out of 23 WNBA games that drew more than 1 million viewers, featured Clark.

But her aspirations extend beyond the basketball court; she continues to chase her childhood dream of owning a restaurant. With legends like Shaquille O’Neal already making waves in the restaurant industry, Clark might very well follow suit after her playing days—though that day is still quite a way off.