Caitlin Clark, one day after injury scare, signs latest major endorsement deal

One day after returning from a serious injury, Caitlin Clark has signed another splashy endorsement deal.

The Indiana Fever rookie and No. 1 overall WNBA draft pick signed a multi-year partnership with Wilson, including a signature basketball collection, the company announced Tuesday.

Clark, who earlier this year broke Pete Maravich’s 54-year-old record to become the all-time leading scorer in major college basketball history, is only the second athlete after Michael Jordan to develop a signature line with the 111- year-old athlete. goods manufacturer, said Council Chamber.

The deal is the latest in a growing sponsorship portfolio for the point guard. Her sponsors include Gatorade, State Farm and Nike, with whom she signed a record $28 million contract last month, including a signature shoe.

News of the Wilson deal came less than a day after Clark left the court with what initially appeared to be a serious non-contact ankle injury. She later returned to get the Fever in position for their first win of the season. Clark fought through pain, foul trouble and even the frustration that led to an uncharacteristic late technical foul, but the Fever lost 88-84 to the Connecticut Sun and fell to 0-4 on the season.

“I think you can see the progress we’re making and that’s why it hurts a lot. We were there and we had enough chances to win the game and you didn’t,” Clark said. “We have played against the top teams in the league and we were there today with the Sun.”

Indiana’s brutal schedule already included two games against last season’s WNBA runners-up, the New York Liberty, and two more against the Sun, who had the third-best record in the league last season.

The result was a predictably difficult learning curve – four straight losses, the first three by double digits – for a young team led by the league’s newest star, playing to yet another announced sellout on Monday night.

Clark finished Monday’s game with 17 points and five assists, all in the final 10 minutes, while making 5 of 11 shots and three 3-pointers, including a go-ahead goal from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse logo that gave Indiana a 70-68. led with 7:15 to go and brought the crowd to their feet.

“That was a big step,” she said. “We got the crowd going. I mean, that crowd was incredible.”

But Indiana’s mistakes were simply too costly. With Indiana clinging to a 76-75 lead with 3:37 to play, Clark turned the ball over and committed her fifth foul trying to fight for the ball. She was also called for a technical foul when she shouted at the officials in frustration and the Sun took full advantage.

“This is what you expect from a young team, a lot of growing pains in the beginning, a lot of ups and downs,” Sun veteran Alyssa Thomas said. “But they should be proud of how they responded with a tough schedule to start the season. They did a great job today.”

Clark and the Fever will get another chance to get their first win of the year on Wednesday in Seattle.