Inside Caitlin Clark’s journey to her first signature Nike sneaker

The calendar turning to a new year also marks a milestone moment for Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark. This spring, her long-anticipated signature sneaker will finally hit the market, a project she opened up about Wednesday while appearing on Jason and Travis Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast.

For Clark, the shoe represents far more than branding. It’s the product of months of trial, design tweaks and balance between performance and personality.

“It’s probably been, like, a year and a half now of, like, figuring out what exactly I want,” Clark said. “And I think probably the most challenging part of it is, like, you want it to be unique. But at the same time, like, I have to be comfortable wearing it.”

The 23-year-old Clark said the journey to create her own shoe began before her college career ended.

“The process started at the end of my senior year when I was at Iowa because I was deciding what shoe company I was going to go with,” Clark said. “And I talked to Nike, Adidas and Under Armour, and they all offered me a signature shoe.”

The decision ultimately felt natural. She shared that she “grew up wanting to be a Nike athlete. Every kid does. Nike Jordan, like, that’s the premier brand.” While Clark has long played in Kobe Bryant models, she made it clear that imitation wasn’t the goal. Her sneaker needed its own identity.

“I want it to be something very unique to me and a little bit different,” Clark said.

Part of that individuality, she believes, will come from the culture around the shoe — from colorways to availability.

“I think, like, just the chasability of them and, like, you want a certain sneaker or, like, you want a certain colorway. I think that’s, like, going to be probably the most fun part,” Clark said.

Performance, however, remains non-negotiable. Clark said she studied what works for her on the court and pushed Nike to take the technology further.

“I like a certain two Kobe models,” Clark said. “I knew whatever I was going to put in my own shoe would need to be the equivalent of that technology, or even better. And it’s going to be even better.”

She noted that some existing models focus on cushioning and support in limited areas — something she wanted to change.

“I need that technology everywhere … being comfortable and exactly kind of what I need. And the technology that we’re going to put into it isn’t anything that they’ve ever put into a basketball shoe before,” she said.

Travis Kelce pointed out that Clark is living out a dream shared by athletes across every sport by having a signature shoe. Clark reflected on how rare that opportunity is.

“LeBron’s on shoe 23 now, which is, like, crazy to think about how long his signature line has lasted,” Clark said.

The Kelce brothers are also part of Clark’s recent Nike commercial, which opens with her wearing apparel featuring her signature logo while shooting in a neighborhood driveway. The ad builds on a recurring challenge from people asking, “Can you make it from here?” Nike released the spot with the tagline “From Anywhere.”

“We’re honored to be a part of your Nike launch,” Travis said during the show.

Caitlin Clark is proof that you can make it From Anywhere. pic.twitter.com/cFbxO5lOu3

— Nike Basketball (@nikebasketball) December 25, 2025

Clark said the commercial felt personal in tone and in who appeared alongside her.

“It’s so exciting, and a lot of the people that were obviously in the commercial, you two, and Travis Scott was in it, my college basketball coach was in it, and then just some other people that have kind of like been huge fans throughout my career or, you know, have been a part since I was either in high school or not professionally,” Clark said. “I felt like the ad was, like, very me.”

Beyond footwear, Clark is also turning her focus back to basketball at the highest level. After injuries limited her to 13 games last season, she welcomed the chance to return to the court at USA Basketball camp held at Duke from Dec. 12–14.

“It kind of kicks off, like, the next cycle for, like, preparing for the Olympics. And then we have the World Cup in 2026.”

Clark acknowledged the challenge ahead, noting that the World Cup has historically been tougher for the U.S. to navigate than the Olympics due to the larger field. Still, her ambition hasn’t changed.

“Hopefully, I’m on the team for that. And obviously my goal is to be on the Olympic team in 2028.”

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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