Caitlin Clark doesn’t earn a CENT on the court despite her record-breaking college career at Iowa… but thanks to big-money NIL deals with Nike, Gatorade and State Farm, she’s raking in the cash off it
- Clark broke the all-time women’s basketball record on Thursday
- Without NIL, Clark would not have earned any of her success at Iowa
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On Thursday night, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark became NCAA women’s basketball’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing Kelsey Plum’s total of 3,527 in the first quarter of a Hawkeyes game against Michigan.
Clark makes exactly zero cents per game at Iowa, bringing her final college total to $0, the exact amount Plum made at Washington before her WNBA stardom.
Clark is now under the thumb of the NCAA, now that the Name, Image and Likeness Act has been passed, and has a NIL value of $818,000, according to the NCAA. On3Sports.
The Hawkeyes phenom has signed NIL deals with companies like Gatorade, Nike, Buick and State Farm.
Nike released a poster after Clark broke the record against Michigan with the slogan “you break it, you own it.”
Clark is beloved by Iowa fans and has reportedly earned over $800,000 in NIL deals
One of Clark’s most recognizable NIL deals is with insurance company State Farm
By graduating from high school in 2020, Clark’s first full season as a college athlete occurred before any NIL law was passed.
Clark’s first NIL deal was with supermarket Hy-Vee, which the Iowa star agreed to in January 2022.
Major brands have surrounded Clark since her rise to stardom to become one of the biggest stars in college, regardless of sport or gender.
Clark’s star power has exploded in the past year, matching the general interest in women’s college basketball.
Last year’s title game, featuring Clark and Iowa against the Angel Reese-led LSU Tigers, broke the previous ratings record of 5.7 million viewers with 9.9 million tuning in. That record will likely fall again in less than two months.
Clark has also teamed up with Gatorade on a multi-year NIL deal, she announced last year
Nike released a poster of Clark on Thursday after she broke Plum’s all-time record
Clark will likely be the No. 1 overall pick in this summer’s WNBA Draft, but she would likely earn more if she stayed at Iowa.
The WNBA’s average annual salary for the 2023 season was $147,745, per year. Sporty news.
Clark is the fourth highest-earning women’s basketball player in NIL deals, according to On3, and is the first among active hoopers not to play for LSU.
Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson play for Kim Mulkey, while Haley Cavinder, one half of the social media-famous twin Cavinder sisters, won’t suit up for TCU until next season for her final year of eligibility.
Clark is the number five earning woman overall, with LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne beating all other women in NIL worth of $3.5 million.
She’s one of the best college basketball players she’s ever seen, but without NIL, Clark would be earning her college money while bringing in none of it herself.