"Angel Reese jests about the significant difference between her WNBA income and the expense of her rent as a rookie."
During an Instagram Live session on a Wednesday, Reese shared that her monthly rent comes out to $8,000, amounting to a staggering $96,000 yearly. Meanwhile, her WNBA salary was only $73,439.
Levelling up the humor, she quipped, "Hate's bossing my bills, baby!", emphasizing that her WNBA income isn't even enough to cover her rent, let alone other expenses.
To double-check the figures, she sought help from someone off-screen. After calculating, she chuckled, "Looks like I'm living beyond my means, huh?"
Known for her skill in rebounding and recording double-doubles, Reese had an impressive rookie season that ended prematurely due to a wrist injury in early September. Within the same month, she broke the WNBA's single-season record for rebounds, surpassing Sylvia Fowles' career record.
However, Las Vegas Aces superstar and MVP A'ja Wilson later overtook this record due to Reese's injury. Apart from breaking the season record for offensive rebounds, Reese also made history as the quickest WNBA player ever to record 20 double-doubles and hold the record for the most consecutive double-doubles.
Reese amassed 26 double-doubles during the season, joining an exclusive list of players in league history to accomplish this feat in a single year.
According to sports and NIL tracking website On3, Reese has endorsement deals with major brands like Reebok, Beats by Dre, Air Bnb, Tampax, and Hershey's Reese's Pieces chocolates, among others. She revealed that her WNBA salary is a bonus on top of her NIL deals, calling it a 'plus' in her life.
Over the years, many WNBA players have opted to work abroad during the off-season to increase their income, a practice that Reese confessed isn't her cup of tea.
She is also one of the WNBA stars who has signed up to participate in Unrivaled, a three-on-three basketball league founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier. This league offers its players an equity stake and six-figure salaries, setting a new record for the highest average salary in women's professional sports leagues.
As per Sports Illustrated, the estimated salary for the eight-week tournament, scheduled to start in January and run simultaneously with the WNBA, is reportedly $250,000, surpassing the WNBA's supermax salary of $241,984 in 2024.
Reese mentioned in the conversation that her WNBA salary isn't enough to cover her monthly rent, highlighting the financial challenges faced by many athletes in professional sports. In her free time, Reese participates in the Unrivaled three-on-three basketball league, which offers players a six-figure salary and an equity stake, showcasing innovative efforts to increase pay in women's professional sports.
