Sonny Vaccaro, who helped sign Michael Jordan to his first Nike deal, believes Caitlin Clark should have received a similar contract. Vaccaro said that Clark will never be at a higher peak in her career than she was during her Final Four run and that she should have gotten a deal that reflected that.
Former sports marketing executive Sonny Vaccaro believes that Caitlin Clark should have received a shoe deal from Nike similar to the one Michael Jordan signed in 1984. Vaccaro, who helped sign Jordan to his first Nike deal, said that Clark is the greatest women's basketball player in the world and that she should have been compensated accordingly.
"She should have gotten a piece of everything just like Michael Jordan," Vaccaro told TMZ Sports. "She will never be at a higher peak than she was during college this last year in that Final Four," he added. "If she’s going to be the greatest woman player in the world, it’s going to take time to do that — and she can do that."
Vaccaro said that there was plenty of blame to go around and that Clark should have gotten more money.
"It was so poorly handled," he said. "I thought they (the agents) handled it wrong. I think the reason is she, just like (Sabrina) Ionescu and a couple others, (felt) obligated to Nike."
Vaccaro also theorized that previous name, image and likeness deals also likely played a role, which other generations of basketball stars did not have.
Clark signed an eight-year deal worth up to $28 million with Nike in 2022, before she became the talk of the sports world with her masterful performance in the 2023 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. Nike's deal with Clark was set to expire in 2024, opening her up to free agency.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Nike made Clark an offer of $3.5 million annually, which included a signature shoe. Under Armour reportedly came the closest to courting Clark, with The Athletic reporting that Stephen Curry was involved in the pitch. The Journal reported that Under Armour's offer was a four-year deal worth $16 million.
Vaccaro believes that Clark should have gotten a deal that was more in line with what Jordan received. Jordan's first Nike deal was for five years and $2.5 million, but it also included royalties on shoe sales. Jordan's deal has been credited with helping to make Nike the global sportswear giant that it is today.
Vaccaro said that Clark has the potential to be a similar icon for women's basketball.
"She's got the personality, she's got the charisma, she's got the game," he said. "She's everything you want in a superstar."
Clark has already shown that she can perform on the biggest stage. She led the Iowa Hawkeyes to the Final Four in 2023 and was named the AP Player of the Year. She also set the all-time scoring marks in the game in the 2023-24 season.
Clark is still just 21 years old, and she has the potential to be one of the greatest women's basketball players of all time. She has already shown that she can perform on the biggest stage, and she has the personality and charisma to be a global superstar. If she continues to develop, she could be the face of women's basketball for years to come.
