Is Caitlin Clark the Most Influential Hooper After Signing With Dick’s, Foot Locker?

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Is Caitlin Clark the Most Influential Hooper After Signing With Dick’s, Foot Locker?

Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc. announced Wednesday that it signed Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark to a multiyear partnership involving both Dick’s and Foot Locker. The company says Clark is the first athlete either retailer has signed as a brand partner.

WNBA, Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever Exit Interviews 2026
Photo credit: Madison Collins, Ballislife

Dick’s and Foot Locker will partner with Clark on national and global campaigns, custom promotions for her signature products, retail and digital experiences, fan activations, appearances, and community programs.

Clark said both brands draw on basketball and sneaker culture and have fans worldwide.

“DICK’S Sporting Goods was always a stop before the start of any sports season when I was growing up,” Clark said. “Being the first ever brand partner for both them and Foot Locker is a really special full-circle moment.”

Ed Stack, executive chairman of Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc., said Clark resonates with fans across the company because her passion for sports goes beyond basketball to include golf, football, soccer, baseball, and softball.

“We’re excited to partner with Caitlin because we see the same opportunity to build on the energy around basketball and bring more people closer to the game through DICK’S and Foot Locker,” Stack said.

Dick’s and Foot Locker Under One Company

Dick’s announced a $2.4 billion deal to acquire Foot Locker on May 15, 2025. The acquisition closed on Sept. 8, 2025.

Foot Locker became a standalone business unit within the company, comprising Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, WSS, and atmos.

Brett O’Brien, Foot Locker’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer, called the chain “the home for basketball” in the release.

Clark’s 2026 Season With the Indiana Fever

Clark averaged 22.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 8.3 assists in 40 games this season. Only Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson and Fever teammate Kelsey Mitchell scored more per game, while Alyssa Thomas was the only player to average more assists.

Clark finished fourth in MVP voting, earning 212 points and one first-place vote, while Wilson claimed her fifth WNBA MVP award.

Dick’s believes sports build confidence, create opportunities, and change lives. Chief marketing, e-commerce, and athlete experience officer Emily Silver said Clark’s impact reflects that belief.

“Caitlin has had an extraordinary impact on the game of basketball,” Silver said, “not only through her talent and star power, but through the countless young girls and boys she has inspired to play the sports that they love, stay in the game and become fans of sport.”

Clark’s Nike Deal and the Caitlin 1

Caitlin Clark Nike 1s 2026
(Photo by AJ Mast/NBAE via Getty Images)

Clark signed an eight-year Nike deal in 2024, reportedly worth up to $28 million, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Nike released the Caitlin 1 on Oct. 1 in “Caitlin Blue” and “Warning Code.” Adult sizes cost $140 in North America.

On the company’s earnings call, CEO Elliott Hill called it Nike’s largest women’s signature shoe launch, with distribution in 5,000 stores—twice the average for a Nike Basketball signature shoe. Foot Locker and Dick’s stocked it on launch day.

Kylie Kelce released a Not Gonna Lie bonus episode Tuesday featuring Clark, timed with the release of Clark’s children’s book, “Extraordinary: A Little EXTRA to Reach Big Dreams.”

Clark wears the same Caitlin 1 that consumers can buy, and she wanted them to feel the effort she put in.

“I don’t think I’ve ever like dreamed of like having a signature shoe and like having your own basketball shoe,” Clark explained, “which is like kind of crazy because like as a basketball player, like, that’s the only thing you ever want, like your own basketball shoe. But when I was growing up, it was like only men had their own signature shoe. Like that wasn’t really a thing.

“Like there were some women’s basketball players here and there that had theirs,” Clark added. “Not to the level that you’re seeing now between like me and, A’ja has her own shoe and Sabrina has her own shoe. And then there’s quite a few others that are with different brands, but there’s like, I, I always wanted to be with Nike, like Nike’s marketing’s the best there, their technology that they put in the shoe and making sure it’s the best product so you can perform at the highest level.”

Additional Caitlin 1 Colorways

Nike also released an 18-piece Caitlin 1 apparel collection alongside the shoe.

Nike textured the Caitlin 1’s upper with C’s on one side and 2s on the other, becoming a first for its designers. The texture also had to withstand mass production at an affordable price.

“The blue photo was the first photo that came out,” Clark said. “And I think people were like really excited and they were like, oh my gosh, this is great. But then as I continued to wear more colorways through the season, a lot of which aren’t even out yet, which will become, as we go through December and then into the new year, a lot more will come to market.

“I think now that people like actually have it and have it up close, like you said, like they’re like, dang, like this is cooler than a photo looks or a video looks,” Clark detailed. “So it’s been really fun. And there’s so many more colors coming to life that I didn’t even know you could put on a shoe.”

Clark nearly wore a colorway based on a Bomb Pop this season before deciding to save it for next summer.

“Next year I’ll play the beginning of the season in the Caitlin 1,” Clark said. “And then we’ll work into the Caitlin 2. I’m already working on the Caitlin 2. And that one’s, it’s good too. I would not disappoint my fans, okay?”

According to Sole Retriever, the first shoe out under the partnership is the Caitlin 1 “Cave Stone,” a Dick’s exclusive. Sole Retriever and House of Heat both list it at $140.

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