Iowa Basketball Star Caitlin Clark Has Signed A Ton Of NIL Deals
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Caitlin Clark has gotten plenty of attention for helping her team clinch some major wins during her college basketball career. The accolades she's wracked up are truly endless, from Big Ten Player of the Year to All-American honors.
But this past weekend, the University of Iowa guard was injured after she was knocked over by an Ohio State fan after Iowa lost to Ohio State on Sunday.
“I was just trying to exit the court as quickly as possible, so I started running and I was absolutely just hammered by somebody trying to run onto the court,” Caitlin told NBC News afterward. Caitlin said she was “basically blindsided,” adding that the experience was “kind of scary, could have caused a pretty serious injury to me and knocked the wind out of me.” (BTW, Caitlin also said that she’s “okay” after the experience.)
But who is Caitlin Clark? Here’s what you need to know about the basketball star.
How tall is Caitlin Clark?
Caitlin is 6 feet tall, according to her University of Iowa bio.
Where is she from?
She’s from West Des Moines, Iowa, which is a city in multiple counties in Iowa.
She started playing basketball at age 5.
When Caitlin started playing basketball, she actually had to join a boys’ team because her dad couldn’t find a girls’ team for her age group, according to Hawk Fanatic. Her grandfather pointed out that there was one game where a boy was extra rough with her, and Caitlin started crying.
At the time, Caitlin’s coach (her dad) pulled her out of the game and told her to calm down. “Upon her going back in she never went to the ball to participate in the game that was going on,” her grandfather, Bob Nizzi, said. “She went right to this guy and put on the best downfield block that I have ever seen and rolled this kid out of bounds and stood over him. She’s a five-year old little girl and that is when her grandmother and I looked at each other and said, ‘she’s going to be really something.’”
She got recruited before starting high school.
Colleges started to pay attention to Caitlin when she was in middle school, according to Sports Illustrated.
“The bar is Connecticut,” Iowa assistant coach Jan Jensen said. “If they’re UConn good, it’s a whole different ball game. You look at her, and you’re like, ‘I’m pretty sure she’s going to be UConn good.’ You just know you’re in for a long ride, if you choose to play.”
Jensen started talking to Caitlin’s parents in middle school, Sports Illustrated said.
She plays for Iowa.
Clearly, Caitlin got offers from a bunch of schools, but she eventually settled on Iowa.
“If anybody watched me in high school, they know that I live for a packed gym,” she told Des Moines Register. “And honestly that’s one of the reasons I came to Iowa, because the support of the women’s basketball team is so good. I just thrive off of crazy crowds.”
Caitlin said it was also appealing to be able to go to school close to home.
Caitlin has won a lot of awards.
For starters, she is Iowa’s all-time leading scorer and the first Division-I player to record 3,300+ points, 900+ assists, and 800+ rebounds in a career, according to her bio. She was also named the AP National Player of the Week and Big Ten Player of the Week several times, and holds the Big Ten record for most weekly awards at 25.
She is expected to be a first draft pick for the WNBA.
While Caitlin is currently a senior in college, the NCAA allows student-athletes who competed in the 2020-21 season to have an extra year of eligibility if they want to, due to the circumstances around the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, Caitlin told ESPN that she won’t make a decision on whether to play at Iowa another year or join the WNBA draft, where she’s expected to be a first-round pick, until after her season ends.
She has 10 NIL deals.
Caitlin has managed to snag 10 separate name, image and likeness (NIL) deals while playing for Iowa. These include sponsorships with Nike, Gatorade, State Farm, Hy-Vee and Topps.
What’s her net worth?
There isn't a solid, confirmed estimate out there, but based on her big NIL deals, Caitlin Clark is probably worth around $3 million.
Stay tuned for more updates as women's college basketball season heats up!
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