WNBA star Angel Reese has made a shocking confession about her salary.
The professional women’s basketball player took to her Instagram Live on Tuesday (October 15) after attending the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in New York City. During the livestream, the 22-year-old Chicago Sky forward revealed she “wouldn’t even be able to live” on her annual basketball salary alone.
“I just hope you know the WNBA don’t pay my bills at all,” Reese said, according to a clip reposted by Plugged Soundz. “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 [in Chicago]. I’m gonna do the math real quick.”
After the Louisiana State University alum calculated her spending, noting that her rent is $8,000 per month, Reese exclaimed: “I’m living beyond my means!”
“I wouldn’t even be able to get a sandwich if I wanted to,” she added. “I wouldn’t be able to eat. I wouldn’t be able to live.”
In 2024, Reese signed a four-year contract with the Chicago Sky worth $324,383. According to Spotrac, an online sports financial system, Reese is expected to earn an annual salary of $73,439 for the 2024 WNBA season.
However, much like fellow WNBA star Caitlin Clark, Reese could earn over $1m from brand deals and endorsements. Last year, she signed a multi-year deal with Reebok, which saw the basketball star create her personal collection of products called “Angel’s Picks.”
In addition to the athletic apparel brand, Reese has signed endorsement deals with brands like Beats by Dre, Tampax, Airbnb, Amazon, Playstation, Bose, Raising Cane’s, Sonic, and Mielle Organics worth an estimated total of $1.8m, per Spotrac.
Reese isn’t the only WNBA star to spark outrage over her rookie salary. After Clark was selected first pick in the 2024 WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever, the 22-year-old athlete signed a contract worth $338,056 over four years. She earned $76,535 in her rookie season this year, and is projected to earn an annual salary of $97,582 by the end of her four-year contract.
It didn’t take long for fans to point out that players in the WNBA earn far less than their male counterparts in the NBA. “Greatest player in college basketball history just got an entry level project manager salary,” one fan wrote on X/Twitter in response to Clark’s four-year contract.
“This is bogus, they have made more headlines than any man that is currently playing,” another person said. “Pay women what they deserve in sports.”
Even US President Joe Biden called for female athletes to be “paid what they deserve” amid outrage over Clark’s first-year salary. “Women in sports continue to push new boundaries and inspire us all,” he began his post on X. “But right now we’re seeing that even if you’re the best, women are not paid their fair share.
“It’s time that we give our daughters the same opportunities as our sons and ensure women are paid what they deserve,” Biden added.
The WNBA currently makes an estimated $60m annually from selling its media rights and licensing deals with Amazon, CBS, and ION, Front Office Sports reports. That’s compared to the average NBA team, which is worth approximately $3.85bn – with the New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, and the Los Angeles Lakers each worth more than $6bn, according to Forbes.
