Boosting viewership, ticket sales, and overall interest in the game. Those are some common factors that can be associated with Caitlin Clark and Michael Jordan. Many former players, too, have drawn similar anecdotes based on the 23-year-old’s current stardom with His Airness’ heyday in the ’90s. These trends have not gone unnoticed by brands. Wilson Sporting Goods recently signed a deal with CC, making her the first basketball player since MJ himself to sign for the sports gear manufacturer. But the most awaited partnership is by far the one with Nike, especially her signature shoes.
We all know what happened when the Air Jordan 1 was released in 1985. It took the entire sneaker industry by storm, forever changing the face of brand deals. Nike expected to make $3 million in the first three years from the Air Jordan. Instead, the sales exceeded all the expectations as Nike went on to make more $100 million in the first year itself. Jeez! And one analyst thinks CC’s signature shoes can do similar numbers when they eventually drop in stores.
Nick DePaula of ESPN explained the success of sneakers in the WNBA and the Caitlin Clark effect. “And so I think when Caitlin’s shoe comes out, I think it can be a hundred million dollar business. I think it could become a top-five signature franchise not just in the W but across basketball. So that would be one of the reasons I would have maybe rushed it. Yeah, but of course you want to get it right.” The signature shoes for CC are not out yet, but we can expect a logo of hers to drop in November/ December.
Nick’s words might actually have some credit. Nike recently launched CC’s edition of the Kobe 5 Proto PE. These sold out within minutes! Many fans, who were waiting for hours for its launch, saw the shoes go out of stock in the blink of an eye. Nike also received a lot of criticism, as apparently they had only released 13,000 pairs. If this is the hype a PE shoe release has, just imagine the chaos that will ensue when her signature shoes are released?
Since we have the big picture now, we can understand the off-field comparison between CC and MJ. But what about on-field? Let’s find out.
Former Celtics duo hype Caitlin Clark’s ‘unfair’ treatment with Michael Jordan analogy
Another metric to measure Caitlin Clark’s stardom is the votes she received for the WNBA All-Star Game, i.e, a whopping 1.2 million. That’s by far the most votes received by a W player in history. Napheesa Collier came second with 1.17 million votes. To give you context, the next 30 players had fewer votes than Clark and Collier combined. That is undisputed stardom!
Jun 22, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) is defended by Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) and guard Dana Evans (11) during the second half of a WNBA basketball game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images
Despite the growth, fans seem to think that CC gets unfair treatment on the hardwood. This narrative gained momentum when the Fever clashed against the Connecticut Sun. As Clark tried to make a pass, Jacy Sheldon poked her in the eye. But Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett viewed it differently. The Truth first shared, “She get targeted, it’s like Jordan got targeted.” Pierce then shared an analogy about Michael Jordan that best describes the situation. “They had the Jordan rules. When you so good, yeah, you gonna get targeted, it just is what it is. Like, come on, man, that’s you gotta like when you at a disadvantage.”
Even KG agreed. “It’s a privilege too though; It’s a privilege, though. It’s a privilege to be in a position where others are hating on you. And when others are hating on you, that mean you’re doing something right, you know what I’m saying.” So, while the players hate CC on the court and try all sorts of dark arts to stop her, fans equally love her off the court, creating a very interesting dynamic. Just like Michael Jordan did!
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