After months of hearing about A’ja Wilson‘s signature shoe and how Angel Reese’s Reebok shoe was selling out in minutes, the long-anticipated Caitlin Clark shoe is set to debut this spring. Indiana Fever fans have complained in the past that it was taking Nike too long to roll out Clark’s first sneaker. Her popularity exploded back in 2023, and fans have been craving them.
Clark, who has been relatively quiet while WNBA labor negotiations enter a danger zone, discussed her signature sneaker with Jason and Travis Kelce on their latest “New Heights” podcast.
Clark discussed the process of creating the shoe, which she says, started during her legendary senior season at Iowa in 2024. It’s been a work in progress and with the WNBA world craving Caitlin Clark since last July and no guarantees of hoops in 2026, the timing is perfect.
“It’s been one of the coolest things I’ve gotten to do,” Clark said on the podcast. “The most challenging part of it is you want it to be unique, but at the same time, I have to be comfortable wearing it.
Clark, who developed her sweet stroke on the courts of West Des Moines, Iowa, is a lifelong Kansas City Chiefs fan. She will be expressing her fandom as she develops different designs for her future sneakers.
“You have the mold of the shoe and the technology that’s in it, but I’m even more excited about making certain colorways. I definitely have a Chiefs colorway on the way. Maybe we can get [Kansas City coach] Andy Reid to coach in them at some point.”
The Pats get love too.
“I’m a Drake Maye fan, I think he’s been incredible,” she said of the New England quarterback. “I’ll probably be pulling for the Patriots. The Rams are really good, too.”
Clark first hooked up with The Kelce Brothers in a commercial released by Nike with the tagline “From Anywhere.” The advertising campaign is getting the public prepared for her shoe release.
During Clark’s rookie season, Clark’s fans were upset that she wasn’t invited to join Team USA in the 2024 Olympics, but she is set to make her debut in 2028 and reflected on her experience at USA Basketball camp at Duke in Durham, NC on Dec. 12-14. Clark was limited to just 13 games this past WNBA season due to an accumulation of lower body injuries.
“It kind of kicks off the next cycle, preparing for the Olympics. And we have the World Cup in 2026,” Clark said. “Hopefully I’m on the team for that, and obviously my goal is to be on the Olympic team for 2028.”
Caitlin Clark didn’t discuss the elephant in the room, which is the contentious collective bargaining negotiations between the players union and the league. However, she did offer her opinion on how historic this moment is during the basketball camp and said, “we can’t mess it up.”
“We’re going to fight for everything that we deserve, but at the same time we need to play basketball. That’s what our fans crave and all of you crave as well. You want the product on the floor. At the end of the day, that’s how you make the money. Thats how your’e marketable its what the fans get excited about and show up for. We have to find a way to play this next season. I think our fans and even everybody who has played in this league that has come before us deserves it as well.”
Clark’s response was reportedly more optimistic than Kelsey Plum’s. The Los Angeles Sparks’ All-Star and first VP of the players union, says she’s been “disheartened” by negotiations and disappointed in how far apart both sides are.
Clark hasn’t expressed any interest in playing for Unrivaled League, which is currently in season, or the new Project B League that is reportedly paying players $2M and has already signed a few WNBA stars, including her Indiana Fever teammate Sophie Cunningham.
For now, Clark is sitting on her $28M Nike deal and she has every reason to want to continue playing and building her brand. Despite her popularity, her performance on the court is what has made her this social phenomenon.
