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Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese pulled back the curtain on the financial realities of playing in the WNBA when she revealed her salary doesn’t cover her $8,000 rent.
Reese crunched the numbers in real time during an Instagram Live video and joked she’s “living beyond my means.”
The 2024 first-round pick made $73,439 in her first season, a figure that was locked in when she was selected seventh overall by the Sky.
Going a little early in the draft wouldn’t have made much of a difference. The salaries for the players picked first though fourth was $76,535, as outlined by the collective bargaining agreement.
Reese obviously supplements her WNBA contract with endorsement money. She became a major star at LSU, and the commercial portfolio she built in Baton Rouge went with her to Chicago. Reese’s, Reebok and Beats by Dre are among the companies she has signed deals with.
Off-court earnings will continue to be 6’3″ forward’s primary source of income for at least the next few years. Her rookie deal maxes out at $93,636 in 2027 before she’s eligible for restricted free agency.
By that point, the WNBA will have a new CBA that reflects the sizable media rights deal the league signed in July, one that promises to significantly boost player salaries. That day can’t come soon enough for Reese and her peers.
