"Paige bent a knee in her ESPY speech": Fans tear into Nike for ignoring Caitlin Clark after Paige Bueckers ad appears on website 

Caitlin Clark's seemingly consistent snubs by Nike in favor of Paige Bueckers are under scrutiny. After releasing the UConn star's merchandise before Clark's, Nike promoted Bueckers on their website with a full-page ad on their "Black Friday" sale tab. Clark and Bueckers are both endorsed and sponsored by the multi-billion dollar brand.

The Indiana Fever star has been with them since college after signing a NIL (name, image and likeliness) deal in 2022. In April, Clark received an eight-year $28 million deal from the company. Meanwhile, Bueckers signed her first Nike NIL deal in September 2023.

Clark's deal also included a signature shoe, but it hasn't been released, and there's no timeline available. On the other hand, Bueckers already has a special edition shoe (Nike GT Hustle 3). She was the first college athlete to get a sneaker released by Nike.

After her appearance in Friday's ad on Nike's website, Clark's fanbase was outraged over another snub by the company for their favored superstar. Multiple critics insinuated that Clark's snub was related to race. Here's what a fan tweeted:

Another fan sarcastically said:

"Paige bent a knee in her ESPY speech, apologized for being white and basically identified as an activist! She won't get a fraction of the crap Clark had to put up with, or it would've started already online, just watch !!"

One fan called out the Nuke's executive's strategies with Clark:

One user hailed Golf TV's coverage of Caitlin Clark's LPGA debut to shade Nike and the WNBA, saying:

"The golf channel has a better CC marketing blueprint than Nike and WNBA"

A fan questioned:

"@nikebasketball yall really ain’t gonna promote Caitlin?"

"They must not like money. Fire the execs they don’t understand business," one fan added.

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Nike had one of the best ads after Caitlin Clark's WNBA Rookie of the Year win

The sentiment among fans regarding Nike's seemingly passive approach toward Caitlin Clark hasn't been great. However, in their limited promotions for the Fever star, one of their best ads of the year featured the WNBA Rookie of the Year winner. After Clark was declared the ROY, Nike's ad read:

"Is there a rookie record for rookie records?"

Nike referenced the numerous records Clark shattered in her debut WNBA season on and off the court. From groundbreaking attendance and viewership records to her production, the 2024 season had Clark's imprint.

Nike also made an impressive commercial for Caitlin Clark after she broke the NCAA scoring record in March.