Women's Fastbreak On SI

Sue Bird's Strong 4-Word Stance on Nike's Caitlin Clark Ad Says it All

WNBA icon Sue Bird sent a clear message about Nike's massive Caitlin Clark billboard in downtown Indianapolis.
Grant Young|
Aug 9, 2024; Paris, France; Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird watch a women's basketball semifinal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Aug 9, 2024; Paris, France; Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird watch a women's basketball semifinal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The center of the women's basketball world will be in Indianapolis, Indiana, during the weekend of July 19, as the Indiana Fever's Gainbridge Fieldhouse arena is set to be the home of the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game and the other All-Star weekend festivities.

Then again, one could argue that Indianapolis has been the center of the women's basketball world ever since the Fever drafted Caitlin Clark with the No. 1 pick of the 2024 WNBA Draft, given how transcendent of a superstar Clark is. What's for sure is that No. 22 is going to be the top attraction during that All-Star weekend (so long as she's healthy enough to compete in the All-Star Game, of which she's a team captain).

And Nike (with whom Clark has a lucrative endorsement) is capitalizing on this attention with a massive billboard on the JW Marriott hotel in downtown Indianapolis, which shows Clark shooting with the caption, "From Downtown In My Town."

WNBA legend Sue Bird has been one of Clark's biggest supporters for years now, dating back to her time with the Iowa Hawkeyes. And Bird gave Clark (and Nike) their flowers about this billboard with a July 5 post to her Instagram story, which reposted the above photo and added the caption, "@nike does it again ! 👏".

X user @imsosonnyy posted a screenshot of Bird's story and wrote, "sue loves caitlin’s latest nike ad campaign ❤️ that’s her mom frfr".

One would imagine that Bird will be in the building for the July 19 All-Star Game, and will hopefully therefore get to see Clark back competing on the court.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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