Caitlin Clark Indiana Fever Jersey Not Shipping Until August After Mindboggling Error By Nike

Published|Updated

Caitlin Clark had been a lock to be the first-overall pick to the Indiana Fever since February when she announced her intentions to enter the WNBA Draft. Everyone was aware of this, except apparently for Nike, the company responsible for manufacturing her Fever jersey.

A limited number of Clark jerseys were pre-made prior to the WNBA Draft to be shipped out immediately and nearly sold out just after the Iowa star officially became the first-overall pick. Fans who were able to get their orders placed on that limited batch are the lucky ones because anyone looking for a Clark Indiana jersey now will be playing a very long waiting game.

(Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)

Fans can pre-order Clark's Nike jersey through Fanatics right now for $99.99, but when doing so, they will be presented with a disclaimer that they won't be shipping until August. Dick's Sporting Goods also has Clark Fever jerseys for sale, but those won't be finding doorsteps until October.

"We are currently sold out of our initial batch of this jersey – if you choose to place a pre-order today, our restock will be available to ship in August due to Nike’s manufacturing times," the Fanatics' disclaimer says.

Again, Nike and Fanatics had to be aware that there would be extreme demand for Clark jerseys following the WNBA Draft. What makes even less sense in this situation is that the Fever's season starts on May 14.

Fans who elect to pre-order the jersey through Fanatics will be receiving their threads when Clark is already three months into her rookie campaign. The Fever's final regular season game is September 19.

The incredibly lengthy manufacturing time Fanatics and Nike are warning buyers about and their lack of preparation are legitimately mindboggling.

Nike may not have been entirely focused on fans of Clark's due to the fact that the company was busy trying to sign her to her reported eight-figure deal with the swoosh brand. She is expected to receive her own signature shoe as part of her deal with Nike.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.