Need another barometer of how popular Caitlin Clark is with basketball fans? Her version of a popular Nike sneaker sold out in minutes when it became available for the first time on Tuesday.
And, predictably, the secondary market is already the shoes for a huge markup.
Nike released the Kobe V Protro—in the navy blue, red, orange and yellow colors of Clark’s Indiana Fever—at 10:00 a.m. ET. But before most people could put them in their cart, they were gone.
Clark signed an eight-year deal with Nike in 2024 that was reportedly worth $28 million. That followed a two-year deal between the two signed in 2022.
Clark has been a phenomenon since her college days and her entry into the WNBA has boosted both ratings and ticket sales. Last season, the league saw its highest attendance in 22 years and had the highest viewership in 24 years.
Clark isn’t the first WNBA player to get her own line of shoes. Sheryl Swoops was the first to do so with a line of Nike Air Swoops. Sabrina Ionescu has also introduced the Nike Sabrina 2s.
But Clark’s shoes are, by far, the most coveted among sneakerheads. And there’s lots of room for prices to go up.
