Chicago Sky power forward Angel Reese might have made the WNBA All-Star Game as a rookie this year, but she is unable to make rent with her current WNBA salary.
Reese brought in $73,439 for her rookie campaign, which falls short of what she owes just in rent annually.
Read more: Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese Make Unique WNBA History By Making All-Star Roster
On Instagram Live earlier this week (via Michele Steele of ESPN), Reese said that playing in the WNBA doesn’t “pay her bills.”
The No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft signed a four-year rookie contract totalling $324,383 with Chicago.
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“Hating pays them bills, baby,” Reese said. “I just hope you know the WNBA don’t pay my bills at all. I don’t even think that pays one of my bills. Literally, I’m trying to think of my rent for where I stay at. Let me do the math real quick. I don’t even know my (WNBA) salary. $74,000?”
Reese added that she pays $8,000 in rent monthly, adding up to a total of $96,000 in rent annually. Reese joked after: “I’m living beyond my means.”
The league’s highest paid player is Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young, who earns $252,450 per year. With a lucrative new TV broadcast rights deal having been negotiated for both the WNBA and the NBA, WNBA players could look to opt out of their current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) by Nov. 1 this year, with an eye towards renegotiating far richer rates going forward.
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“Babe, if y’all thought … That WNBA check don’t pay a thing. Did that even pay my car note?” Reese joked. “I wouldn’t even be able to eat a sandwich with that. I wouldn’t even be able to eat. I wouldn’t be able to live.”
Instead, Reese has capitalized on her popularity and large social media following. Reese has amassed over a combined 9.6 million followers across Instagram, Tik Tok, and Twitter, and has the most Instagram followers of any WNBA player.
The Bayou Barbie has numerous endorsement deals, and was one of the highest-earning NIL collegiate athletes in the nation when she was at LSU. She has deals with Playstation, Reese’s, Panini America, Reebok, Good American. She has already graced numerous magazine covers, and become one of the most spotlighted athletes amid the WNBA’s growth.
Reese rose to national prominence during her time with the Tigers, when she became embroiled in a controversy surrounding her and former Iowa star Caitlin Clark. LSU ended up defeating Iowa in 2023, and going on to win the national championship.
Over a year later, Reese was drafted by the Sky to start her professional basketball career. Reese averaged 13.6 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists as a rookie, leading the WNBA in rebounds per game. Her debut pro season was cut short by a Sept. wrist injury.
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