- Natasha Cloud has signed with Vertiq for off-field representation, a deal led by Vertiq CEO Chelsea Carter.
- Cloud continues to be represented on-field by Fabio Jardine of Seros FirstPick, who helped her land a one-year, $555,000 deal with the Chicago Sky this May after a rocky free agency.
- The arrangement splits her representation into two lanes: playing contracts through Seros FirstPick, and brand, media, and community work through Vertiq.
Natasha Cloud has added Vertiq to her team, tapping the Cincinnati-based brand agency for off-field representation. The signing is led by Vertiq co-founder and CEO Chelsea Carter.
Cloud, 34, enters her 11th WNBA season off one of the more chaotic off-seasons of her career. Her prior agency released her just days before the 2026 WNBA Draft, and she remained unsigned deep into training camp before former teammate Izzy Harrison connected her with Fabio Jardine.
Cloud credits Jardine with “saving the day,” and weeks later she landed a one-year, $555,000 deal with the Chicago Sky. She continues to be represented by Jardine and Seros FirstPick for on-field matters, with Vertiq now stepping in to handle brand deals, media, and community work.
Vertiq was co-founded by Carter and NaMaudi Harley and works with founders and organizations across sports, entertainment, and mission-driven brands out of Cincinnati and Los Angeles.
Carter spent a decade inside professional sports front offices, including stints with the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia 76ers, and Orlando Magic, before launching the agency in 2024.
The split setup mirrors a trend spreading across women’s sports, where athletes increasingly separate playing-contract negotiations from brand-building. Genie Bouchard did something similar this year, signing with THE·TEAM for digital representation while staying with GSE Worldwide for brand partnerships.
Jardine, meanwhile, has kept busy: Seros FirstPick also landed veteran guard Tiffany Mitchell for on-field representation this spring.
And Cloud’s own representation shuffle follows a broader pattern this year, with rookies like Christeen Iwuala signing with The Fam, underscoring how competitive women’s basketball representation has become.
Cloud is a three-time WNBA All-Defensive selection, the league’s 2022 assists leader, and a 2019 champion with the Washington Mystics. She also suits up for Phantom BC in Unrivaled.
Takeaways
Natasha Cloud’s 2026 has been a lesson in resilience, and now that’s showing up in how she’s building her team off the court, too.
After a free-agency scare that left her without a roster spot deep into training camp, Cloud isn’t just settling for stability with the Chicago Sky; she’s actively investing in her brand for the next phase of her career.
Pairing a specialized on-field agent in Fabio Jardine with a dedicated brand shop in Vertiq is a structure more athletes, especially in women’s sports, are adopting as WNBA visibility and earning potential climb.
For Vertiq, landing a name like Cloud, a 2019 champion, All-Defensive honoree, and one of the league’s most outspoken personalities, is a notable step up for a young agency built on brand strategy and community-first values.
Does splitting on-field and off-field representation give athletes more leverage, or does it create coordination headaches between two teams pulling in different directions? With Vertiq being a newer name in athlete representation, can it deliver the kind of national brand deals a player of Cloud’s profile might expect?
