The Kate Linklerk marketing machine has expanded to enemy territory.
Nike unveiled its latest Clark Billboard in Chicago this week at 157 Chicago Avenue. Billboard is 3.5 miles away from Winostreana, home to Chicago Sky and Clark rival Angel Reese.
The placement of the Billboard, which featured real estate in the city of Lease, sparked a response from social media fans due to the history of controversy among players.
Many Clark fans use the new sign as an opportunity to laugh at the lease.
Clark and Reese have been linked to each other since they first met at the 2023 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship. Reese laughed at Clark at the end of that game and got her a ring to untook her fingers when her LSU Tigers defeated Clark's Iowa Hawk Eyes for the title It reminded me.
This sparked outrage from Clark's fan base, including Dave Portnoy, the founder of Barstool's sports.
They brought their rivalry to the professionals this year. Their four matchups included a series of controversial fouls against Clark by Reese and other Sky players.
Reese smacked Clark in the head with his arm while trying to block a shot at the first WNBA meeting on June 1st.
One of Reese's teammates, Diamond Deshield, posted a screenshot of the hateful comments he got after knocking Clark on the floor at the final meeting of the season on August 30th.
Clark and Reese never admitted there was a feud between them. They simply commented with respect to the media about each other. But fans are a different story.
Since the 2023 NCAA Championship Game, the two groups have been famous for attacking each other and two players on social media.
Reese said Clark fans sent her death threat, creating an explicit AI image of her, and sending it to her family.
“Really fans, her fans, her fans, Iowa fans, now Indiana fans, I think it's really just riding for her. But sometimes it's very rude. Reese's podcast on September 5th In the first episode of, I think there's a lot of racism in that regard.”
Now, Clark has won an off-court victory in rivalry with her new sign.
In April 2024, Kate Linklark signed an eight-year, $28 million approval agreement with Nike. The deal includes Signature Shoes, making it the most lucrative shoe deal in women's basketball history.
The new Billboard is a continuation of Nike's advertising campaign, which launched on Sunday with its first Super Bowl ads in 27 years.
The 1-minute “So Win” spot is a commercial for all women celebrating nine famous female athletes, including Clark, Jordan Chile, Shy Cali Richardson, Juju Watkins and Aja Wilson.
However, the campaign has also been elicited criticism. Critics immediately called out Nike Company Stance We support transgender athletes who compete in women's sports.
