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The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan
The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

Former Iowa women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark signs multi-year partnership deal with Wilson

Clark’s deal will include a signature basketball collection, becoming the first athlete to partner with the brand since Michael Jordan.
Brad Schultz, Sports Reporter
May 21, 2024
Grace Smith
Iowa guard Caitlin Clark smiles at fans during a season celebration to honor the Iowa women’s basketball team’s historic run in the NCAA tournament at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa, on Wednesday, April 10, 2024. No. 1 South Carolina defeated No. 1 Iowa, 87-75, during an NCAA Championship game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sunday, April 7, 2024. The Gamecocks finished the season undefeated with 38 wins. The game marks Iowa’s second straight runner-up finish for the title.

Former Iowa women’s basketball superstar and current Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark continues to grow her sponsorship deals.

On Tuesday, Wilson Sporting Goods announced that it had signed Clark to a multi-year partnership that includes a signature basketball collection, becoming the first athlete to partner with the brand since Michael Jordan in the 1980s. Wilson is also the official ball of the WNBA.

“Wilson is made to celebrate the most iconic moments in sport, and we have always aligned ourselves with trailblazers who break boundaries and write their own story,” Wilson’s head of global brand Amanda Lamb said in the company’s press release. “Caitlin Clark is not just a record-setting athlete, but a cultural icon who has had a profound impact on the game. We couldn’t be prouder to join forces with her to continue innovating basketball both on and off the court.”

Clark will test, advise, and offer her opinions on Wilson products, and the company will also release Clark-inspired merchandise throughout the year. The basketball collection includes three signature gold and white balls that celebrate Clark’s career accomplishments – “Threes up,” “Record Breaker,” and “Crowd Maestro.” Clark broke numerous records during her college career with the Hawkeyes, and is the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer. The three balls are each priced for $49.95 on the company website.

It is not Clark’s first big partnership with a sporting goods company, as she previously signed an eight-year, $28 million dollar deal with Nike that also includes a signature shoe deal. She signed with Wilson because she often used the ball during childhood pickup games with her brothers.

“I loved that thing more than anything. My brothers and I would always fight over it,” Clark told Boardroom. “That was the best basketball. But I’m just super excited to have a collaboration and create basketballs together that are really cool. I’ve seen the designs that young girls, boys, whoever can get their hands on and go dribble in the driveway or take it to practice with them.”

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