Sonny Vaccaro Says Caitlin Clark Deserved Michael Jordan-Esque Nike Deal.

Sonny Vaccaro says he believes Caitlin Clark could have gotten a much better deal from Nike — telling TMZ Sports he’s sure the former Iowa superstar could’ve inked a pact similar to the one Michael Jordan got back in the day.

The shoe industry legend, of course, knows all about the deal MJ received — he was the one who helped negotiate it. And, when he heard Clark only received $28 million over eight years to be with Phil Knight’s co., he was surprised it wasn’t more.

Sonny Vaccaro Says Caitlin Clark Deserved Michael Jordan-Esque Nike DealSonny Vaccaro says he believes Caitlin Clark could have gotten a much better deal from Nike — telling TMZ Sports he’s sure the former Iowa superstar could’ve inked a pact similar to the one Michael Jordan got back in the day.0 seconds of 4 minutes, 59 secondsVolume 90%New York D.A. Goes Off on Cop During Traffic Stop Caught on Video

Vaccaro tells us she could’ve landed a contract that not only gave her more annual money — but also allowed her to take a cut of every Clark-branded item sold … just like Jordan got with his initial Swoosh agreement in 1984.

“She should have gotten a piece of everything,” the 84-year-old said, “just like Michael Jordan.”

Vaccaro believes there were plenty of people to blame — everyone from Clark’s reps … to other shoe companies who dropped out of the race and allowed Nike to come in with what appeared to be on its face a company-friendly contract.

“I’m saying to you,” he said, “they messed up. They should have held on to the last drop.”

Clark, though, doesn’t seem too disappointed … $28 mil, after all, is a ton of coin — especially considering she’s only set to make $76,000 from her WNBA contract this season.

And, hey, she gets her own signature Nike shoe … which we’re sure she’s thrilled about.

Caitlin Clark wishes she could be ‘normal’ as WNBA No. 1 Draft pick emotionally opens up on struggles of fame in teaser for Full Court Press

In a teaser for a four-part documentary on women’s college basketball stars, former Iowa guard Caitlin Clark opened up on struggles she has dealing with fame.

Clark is one of three players that ESPN will focus on in an upcoming special titled ‘Full Court Press’.

One trailer talks about how Clark deals with fame and people constantly recognizing her throughout the day.

‘Hardest part about being Caitlin Clark I would say… having to feel like you’re always on.

‘You just have bad days and there’s days where you don’t want to talk to anyone. But somebody comes up to you and this is their ten second interaction with you, so you better smile and be kind.

Caitlin Clark opened up about the pressure she feels after becoming as famous as she is now

Clark was selected first overall by the Indiana Fever in this year’s WNBA Draft

Now that she’s a pro basketball player, the pressure on Clark could grow even more in Indiana

Caitlin Clark admits that she wishes she could be "normal" sometimes.

Full Court Press — a four-part series with unprecedented access to Clark, Kamilla Cardoso and Kiki Rice — premieres May 11 and 12 on ABC and ESPN+ 🍿 pic.twitter.com/ca3V1ADFPn

— ESPN (@espn) May 10, 2024

‘But at the same time it’s just like… you just wanna be normal sometimes.’

Connor McCaffrey, Clark’s boyfriend and a former Iowa men’s basketball star, also made an appearance in the trailer.

‘This is not the same as what it was. Me and you, we cannot go and just walk around like nobody knows who you are that’s not the reality of the situation,’ he said.

‘And I think that there’s still moments where she realizes that and she’s like “Damn that kinda sucks.”‘

Clark now faces even more pressure as the top overall pick in the WNBA Draft. She’s also seen as a franchise savior for the Indiana Fever, who haven’t appeared in the playoffs for some time.

That popularity from college will carry over to her pro career – where the pressure may be greater than ever.

The four-part series premieres on May 11 and 12 on ABC as well as on the streaming service ESPN+.