Caitlin Clark breaks record again – with a rookie card

 

 

 

 

 

 

2024 WNBA rookie card of Caitlin Clark, signed by the Indiana Fever star herself, has sold for $660,000 (£491,116) – more than double the previous women’s record.

Extended bidding began at $336,000 before spiking to its final sale price at the auction hosted by memorabilia and trading card company Fanatics Collect.

The one-of-one Rookie Royalty WNBA Flawless Platinum Logowoman card features Clark’s signature, inked in blue, and a photo of her mid-dribble, shin bloodied.

Clark developed a massive following as a once-in-a-generation women’s college basketball athlete, and the buzz of her fandom has followed her into the WNBA.

The previous record for highest-selling women’s sports card was also Clark’s, which sold for $366,000 in March.

The card that sold on Thursday night includes her photo, signature and a patch from Clark’s Fever uniform that was worn while she played.

It also includes the words “769 pts and counting”, written by Clark, a reference to the record she broke last year for points scored as a rookie.

Clark now has 14 cards featuring her that have sold at public auctions for sums that far exceed her salary for a season, which is estimated at roughly $80,000.

She has been off the court since suffering a groin injury on 15 July, and her team has said there is no timeline for her return as the season grinds on.

The 23-year-old was already a major celebrity athlete when she joined the women’s professional league last year, having won back-to-back NCAA championships with the Iowa Hawkeyes, and setting the all-time Division I scoring record for both men and women.