Caitlin Clark’s historic shoe deal isn’t historic enough for Dave Portnoy.
The Barstool Sports founder claimed the Indiana Fever’s No. 1 pick is “messed up” with an eight-year, $28 million contract with Nike that includes a signature shoe.
“If you want to complain about Caitlin Clark messing up, complain about this. An eight-year, $28 million contract is a steal.” Portnoy posted on X on Tuesday. “Eight years and 80 million is what she’s worth, but that’s still going to be too low. I hope she can opt out early if she doesn’t pay her fees when she breaks this deal.”
After an X user asked how many men would buy Clark’s shoes and criticized the deal as “overpaying,” Portnoy doubled down on Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker with disdain.
“Guys will 100 percent buy her sneakers. All the girls who play hooping will do that,” Portnoy said. “Devin Booker earned 50 million for 5 years. Kaitlyn is 100x the star and has the clout.”
Perhaps Clark made the mistake of not letting Portnoy negotiate a sneaker deal, but we were first to report that the former Iowa State superstar set a record with his deal with Nike. wall street journal.
Nike won a bidding war for the contract, beating out Adidas, Under Armor, Puma and others in a deal that Clark’s agent said should be worth at least $3 million per season.
According to WSJ, Puma had already negotiated a contract and shoes with Liberty star Brianna Stewart, but decided against it at that price point.
According to the report, Adidas offered $6 million over four years, half of the minimum goal, while Under Armor offered $16 million over four years.
Although the deal would have a higher average annual value, Clark opted for the highest value with Nike.
According to WSJ, Nike’s initial offer did not include shoes, but the global powerhouse eventually upped the ante to include shoes.
Clark and the Fever open the season on May 14 against the Connecticut Sun.
