Angel Reese is a very big star right now. The Chicago Sky forward immediately established herself as one of the best rebounders in WNBA history. Off the court she’s even bigger as she’s fully established herself as a successful brand.
As of her rookie year, her basketball-related income is far behind her off-court earnings, a fact she put in perspective on Instagram Live this week when she revealed that her rent exceeds the salary she earned as a WNBA player.
Her rookie salary with the Sky was $73,439, while her $8,000 a month rent costs her $96,000 a year.
Angel Reese reveals that her rent is $8k a month and that her $74k WNBA earnings can’t cover any of her bills 👀 pic.twitter.com/zXBN5IZMIU
— sip this ☕️ (@sipthisteaaaaa) October 16, 2024
“I just hope y’all know,” Reese told her audience, “the WNBA don’t pay my bills at all. 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. Let me do the math real quick.”
Once Reese figured out her salary and what she was paying, she laughed and said, “I’m living beyond my means!”
While rent of $8,000 a month may take some time to wrap your head around, keep in mind this is a celebrity living in a major city. And obviously she supplements her basketball income with a ton of endorsements, appearances and however else famous people make money. So she absolutely can afford it.
Having said that, WNBA players—including Angel Reese—are severely underpaid. The league is blowing up and money is pouring in, but it hasn’t reached player salaries yet. WNBA salaries are so low that the league actually helps pay for or even provide housing.
In Chicago, there was a $1,952 a month housing stipend this season, which Reese should really look into if she hasn’t already.
Then there’s the fact that Reese will be playing in Unrivaled this winter where she’ll make about a quater of a million for two months work. That really puts the grind of the five-plus month WNBA season in perspective when the highest salary in the league is just over $252,000.
Women’s basketball is in for a huge monetary shift. Reese and Caitlin Clark are just getting started. The WNBA Finals, which feature neither of those two rookie stars, is seeing record ratings. Unrivaled, which will air on TNT, is only going to give more exposure to women’s basketball’s biggest stars.
Consider the fact that Michael Jordan’s rookie salary was $555,000 and he never made more than $4 million in any of his first 11 seasons while he piled up championships and MVP awards. WNBA players may not be headed for the $30 million the Bulls gave him in season 12 anytime soon, but just like the NBA in the 80’s, the money is coming and salaries are going to be rising.
It shouldn’t be long before Reese can afford rent.
