Caitlin Clark and Michael Jordan (Photos via Getty Images)
Indiana Fever star rookie Caitlin Clark has secured a deal that puts her in league with Michael Jordan.
The former Iowa Hawkeyes point guard has partnered with basketball manufacturer Wilson to release the signature “Caitlin Clark Limitless Series” of balls, marking the first collection resulting from the deal.
Clark signed a multi-year contract with Wilson in May, joining MJ as the only signature athlete to ever sign a deal with the company.
“Made for Defying Limits,” Wilson announced via Instagram on Friday. “The first collection from Caitlin Clark and Wilson Basketball arrives 7/9.”
Check it out below:
“changed the wnba forever,” a user wrote.
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“Can’t wait for this one!!!!” said another.
“I have an excited girl! This will be just in time to get for her birthday,” a third disclosed.
Also Read: NFL Fans Did Not Appreciate What Chiefs Wide Receiver Rashee Rice Had To Say To Caitlin Clark
Caitlin Clark Is Having An Impressive Rookie Season On a personal Front
Clark is leading all WNBA rookies in points and assists this season, averaging 16.0 points and 7.1 assists. She was selected as an All-Star this week, joining Angel Reese as the only other first-year player to make the roster.
Clark, who entered the league as the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer after four seasons with Iowa, has attracted millions of eyes to WNBA basketball and is being paid very well for it, though not through her deal with the Fever.
The 22-year-old landed the most lucrative deal ever signed by a female basketball player before the start of the season, with Nike handing her a $28 million contract.
She’s likely to garner several more endorsements throughout the early stages of her career in the pros.
The Caitlin Clark-themed Wilson basketball will launch on July 9.
Someone Tried To Use The Sketchiest Stat To Expose Caitlin Clark’s Case For Rookie Of The Year, And Social Media Is Having None Of It
Caitlin Clark (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Basketball fans are destroying a polarizing stat that undermines Caitlin Clark’s grade-A production in her rookie season.
Caitlin Clark was drafted first overall by the Indiana Fever this year, and the all-time NCAA Division I scoring leader has lived up to the hype in every aspect. The 22-year-old is averaging 16.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game through her first 22 WNBA contests.
Clark’s efforts have helped Indiana surge into the playoff picture following a miserable 1-8 start. Having won six of their last nine games, the Fever (9-13) occupy the seventh seed and are only 2.5 games behind the Phoenix Mercury for the No. 6 spot.
But as noted by the @CClarkReport X/Twitter account, the widely-used player efficiency rating (PER) advanced statistic suggests that Caitlin Clark shouldn’t even be the WNBA Rookie of the Year.
This doesn’t make sense, since Clark is the overwhelming favorite to win the honors at practically about every sportsbook. The stats don’t lie, after all.
Fans on X/Twitter wasted no time exposing the statistic while defending Caitlin Clark:
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Former Memphis Grizzlies VP of basketball operations John Hollinger, now a writer at The Athletic, designed the PER stat. As ESPN outlines it, PER is “the overall rating of a player’s per-minute statistical production.”
Few advanced statistics in the sporting world draw more outcry and debate than PER in basketball. And Caitlin Clark’s incredible rookie season is just another compelling case that the formula for PER is far from perfect.
Advanced Stats Can’t Ignore Caitlin Clark’s Impact For Indiana
At the end of the day, one just has to look at how much the team has improved with Clark this season. They went 13-27 a year ago and failed to win double-digit games in each of the three years prior.
Indiana last made the postseason in 2016, albeit with a 17-17 record that culminated with a first round loss at the hands of Phoenix. Indiana hasn’t topped 13 wins in a season since 2017, yet Clark has them on track to easily surpass that number here in 2024.
