Amid unprecedented ratings, interest and attendance, one of the WNBA’s most marketable stars says the money she makes as a player doesn’t come close to covering her expenses.
“I just hope y’all know,” Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese said Wednesday on Instagram Live, “the WNBA don’t pay my bills at all. I don’t even think it pays one of my bills. Literally.”
Reese disclosed a monthly rental payment of $8,000 a month, or $96,000 a year, dwarfing the $73,439 she made this season as a rookie with the Sky.
She added jokingly, “I’m living beyond my means!”
Make no mistake, Reese is an enviable position relative to many of her peers in the WNBA — website On3 gave her a $1.8 million name, image and likeness valuation her senior year at LSU, putting her among the top 10 highest-earning women athletes. Reese told ESPN in May she’s making more money as an endorser and influencer in the pros.
“That check that I do get here is a bonus,” Reese said in an interview at the start of the season. “Being able to play for what, four to five months, and get $75,000 on top of the other endorsements that I’m doing. I think it’s a plus for me.”
Reese has deals with endorsers, including Reebok, Good American, Tampax, beauty brand Mielle, Beats by Dr. Dre and Hershey’s Reese’s Pieces candy….
