Fans are getting their first look at Caitlin Clark’s signature Nike shoe thanks to a few telling details on social media.
Clark came to the Indiana Fever’s game against the Toronto Tempo on Tuesday, June 16, in a vintage Alexander McQueen blue bodysuit that included a “very important” friendship bracelet reading “Caitlin 1” and the date “10-01-26.”
“Mark your calendars,” she said when asked about the bracelets pregame.
The clues from the former Iowa women’s basketball star, and the fact that she has been dropping hints multiple times recently — such as changing her Instagram username to “caitlin1” and her profile picture to a Nike swoosh — have had fans online connecting the dots on what it all means in terms of her first shoe.
Then, early Wednesday, June 17, Clark appeared to give the world its first real glimpse of the Caitlin 1s in an Instagram post. Here’s what to know.
See the first look of Caitlin Clark’s first signature shoe
In the final slide of a 15-photo Instagram collage post captioned “A very, very, very, very, very normal photo dump,” Clark appears walking alone across a basketball court, eyes down, focused on her footwear: a pair of low-top blue Nikes with metallic Swooshes and a reddish-gum outsole. The shoes match the same features showcased in Clark’s Instagram profile picture.
The shoes don’t appear to be Kobes or any of the other Nike basketball models Clark typically wears in games. The same pair shows up at least five more times in the collage, but only in subtle, partially obscured shots that avoid giving away too many details.
Shop Caitlin Clark’s collection with Nike
Another picture in the carousel features a colorful insole bearing Clark’s Nike logo, as well as a photo of rapper Travis Scott trying on an all-black pair of the Caitlin 1s.
“When I saw the final product, it was kind of one of those moments where you have those moments in life, and you’re like, ‘Dang, like that’s the one,'” Clark said in pregame availability on June 16. “You kind of just know in the moment, like that’s going to be something special.”
When is Caitlin Clark’s first signature shoe releasing?
The all-blue pair Clark showcased online is titled the “Caitlin 1, Race Blue” and is set to release on Oct. 1, 2026, according to USA TODAY. The shoes are priced at $140 for adults, $115 for big kids and $105 for little kids.
Clark signed an 8-year, $28 million endorsement deal with Nike in April 2024. For the past couple of years, she’s been wearing player-exclusive Nike Kobes for WNBA games, including colorways that paid homage to the Cookie Monster, her childhood dog and Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
A few of these player-exclusives have gone on to see public releases, such as her “Rookie of the Year” and Indiana Fever Kobe 5s, which sold out within minutes. About 60 players wore Clark’s Kobe collabs in NBA games during the 2025–26 season, per Kickstats, making her colorways the league’s most popular among pros.
USA TODAY Network reporters Chloe Peterson and Meghan L. Hall contributed to this report
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
This article originally appeared on Hawk Central: Does the Caitlin Clark shoe have a release date? She’s dropping hints.
Reporting by Cooper Worth, Des Moines Register / Hawk Central
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cooper Worth, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
