The Caitlin Clark hype has officially reached a fever pitch. The basketball icon became a superstar with the Iowa Hawkeyes, where she became the women’s all-time leading scorer of Division 1 NCAA basketball.
Her excellent college career put Clark on the path to becoming the No. 1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She’s less than 40 games into her WNBA career, but it’s clear Clark is already one of the biggest stars in the sport.
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Wilson Caitlin Clark basketballs sell out in just 40 minutes
On Monday, Wilson Sporting Goods placed signature Caitlin Clark basketballs for sale. The company reportedly had thousands of them on hand, but the actual number of units sold is not yet known.
What we do know, is that the Clark basketballs are no longer available after selling out just 40 minutes after they hit the market.
“We haven’t done a deal of this magnitude since we did one with Michael Jordan 30 to 40 years ago when we launched his first collection of basketballs. I can tell you that the gravity of this movement and what it has brought back to our company, like business, e-commerce and traffic is phenomenal. The impressions and engagement that we’re seeing on all these channels really is unprecedented.”
David Picioski – Wilson’s head of global brand partnerships and collaborations
The ‘Inspire Series’ basketballs had two versions. One with white, black and gold, representing the Hawkeyes colors. The other had a purple, blue, and yellow color scheme. Pictures of the basketballs can be seen below.
The balls were listed for just $24.95. Judging by the market, that was a very fair price to pay for the latest Caitlin Clark memorabilia.
Those who missed out on a chance to purchase the Clark basketballs can relax as they’re expected to be restocked within “a few months.” There will also be a new form of Clark memorabilia dropping in 2025.
“I can guarantee that you’ll see more products, hopefully even bigger, better and more robust,” Picioski said. “And [we’re] kind of trying to solve for that demand and inventory challenge as best as we possibly can to make sure we’re satisfying as many basketball fans as possible.”
Based on those comments, it sounds like Wilson will have a lot more merchandise representing the Fever’s superstar in the near future.
Related: WNBA TV ratings: Caitlin Clark helps WNBA reach 21 games with more than 1 million viewers