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NBA agent claims 'controversial' reason is behind Caitlin Clark’s Nike shoe delay
Featuring on the "House of Strauss" podcast recently, NBA agent Nate Jones claimed there was a "controversial" reason behind Caitlin Clark's Nike shoe delay. Jones said that the company may be looking to avoid backlash instead of capitalizing on the business opportunity.
"I think a lot of it has to do with managing everything that they're hearing from athletes and fanbase of the WNBA," Jones said. "Maybe even Caitlin herself wants to avoid all that."
Jones highlighted A'ja Wilson's upcoming signature shoes with the brand as the reason for the delay. He noted that Nike may want to launch the reigning Finals MVP's kicks first before Clark's to avoid any backlash.
"It's so controversial that instead of just going for it, I got handed lightning in a bottle and I don't have a shoe for her rookie year and I'm likely not going to have a shoe for her next year," Jones said. "But, I've got the MVP of the league, A'ja Wilson, her shoes coming out. It feels like a lot of this is around avoiding upsetting that, like she can't go before A'ja.
"Who the f**k says she can't go before A'ja, this is business, this isn't charity. No matter what you think of A'ja Wilson, it's obvious that the business opportunity with Caitlin Clark is much more substantial and much less risky."
Nike previously faced backlash for offering Caitlin Clark signature shoe deal before A'ja Wilson
Caitlin Clark received an eight-year, $28 million deal with Nike ahead of her WNBA debut, which also included a signature shoe deal. While A'ja Wilson was signed with Nike, she was not offered a signature shoe deal at that point, despite her incredible success in the league.
Amid reports of Clark's deal in April, Nike faced backlash from various sports journalists and fans for not offering Wilson a signature shoe deal before the Indiana Fever rookie. Soon after facing the criticism, Nike offered Wilson a signature shoe deal in May.
With Wilson's first signature kicks set to release in 2025, Nike unveiled her signature logo in August.
Featuring on a previous episode of the "Locked On" podcast in August, footwear news journalist Peter Verry shared some details from his conversation with Wilson about her upcoming signature kicks.
"She said it's a low top, which she typically doesn't wear on the court," Verry said. "It's very versatile, and the key thing for her, besides the fact that she wants people to wear it off the court, is that she needed about 40 minutes of comfort built into that shoe."
A'ja Wilson is one of just three active WNBA players to sign a signature shoe deal with Nike, along with Sabrina Ionescu and Caitlin Clark.
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