Reese's comments came just a few days before WNBA players decided to opt out of their collective bargaining agreement
Angel Reese, an All-Star forward for the WNBA's Chicago Sky, talked about her finances during an Instagram Live video last week - saying that her salary "don't pay my bills at all."
Reese, 22, was a rookie in the WNBA in 2024 and made $73,439 as her base salary. While that is roughly in line with the median household income in the U.S., it's low by professional-athlete standards.
"I don't even know my salary for the WNBA, does that even pay my car note?" Reese said.
"I don't even think it pays one of my bills," Reese said. She stated that her rent is $8,000 a month, which would be $96,000 over a 12-month period.
Having a lifestyle where you spend more than you make is not a sustainable one financially. Luckily for Reese, her WNBA salary is not her only source of income. That's why she joked, "I'm living beyond my means!"
While attending Louisiana State University, Reese at one time had more name, image and likeness (NIL) deals than any other college athlete. Reese had an NIL value of $1.8 million in April 2024 while enrolled in school, and had endorsement deals with brands including Goldman Sachs (GS), Tampax (PG), Airbnb (ABNB), Amazon (AMZN), PlayStation (SONY) and Reebok.
Reese's NIL deals were not contingent on her being in college, and the brands have likely continued to do business with her during her WNBA career. For example, Reebok announced Reese is set receive a signature shoe from the brand in the near future, and the WNBA star has also inked new endorsement deals with Disney (DIS) and Hershey (HSY) since turning pro.
In addition, Reese has a popular podcast called "Unapologetically Angel" where she interviews celebrities and athletes.
See: The number of millionaire college athletes has tripled. Here are the top 10 earners this year.
Reese's $73,439 salary is slightly above the WNBA minimum of $64,154, but well below the league's current maximum salary of $241,984.
Several WNBA players have publicly voiced their frustration with league salaries lately, including Las Vegas Aces star Kelsey Plum and the Los Angeles Sparks' Chiney Ogwumike.
WNBA players only get a 9.3% cut of total league revenue, far less than what athletes in other major sports leagues earn. NBA players in aggregate receive between 49% and 51% of basketball-related income, NFL players get 48% of all league revenue and NHL players get 50%.
Reese's comments came just a few days before WNBA players decided to opt out of their collective bargaining agreement in October, likely to hopes negotiate a better revenue split, among other things.
"I suspect they have the political power and the unity to be able to do that," Andrew Zimbalist, professor emeritus of economics at Smith College and a leading expert on the economics of sports, said about the WNBA revenue split.
"This is a defining moment not just for the WNBA, but for all of us who believe in progress," WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike said about the opt out. "The world has evolved since 2020 and we cannot afford to stand still. If we stay in the current agreement, we fall behind. This is a new era and we are ready to lead transformational change."
The WNBA itself will make at least $200 million in revenue annually over the next 11 seasons from its combined broadcast deal with the NBA - a significant increase from the WNBA's previous TV deal, which paid it $60 million per season.
See: Nike has a $28 million decision to make with its Caitlin Clark shoe: Design it for women or make it unisex?
-Weston Blasi
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