Angel Reese‘s salary projections for her first WNBA season aren’t sufficient for a star of her caliber.
Reese is currently projected by ESPN to be the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, which is held by the Chicago Sky.
According to the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement, the Draft’s No.1 overall pick (which is reserved for Caitlin Clark) earns a 2024 rookie salary of $76,535. The No.10 pick in the Draft earns about a $70,000 base salary.
Therefore, Reese will have a 2024 WNBA salary of somewhere between $70,000-76,000.
For comparison, HoopsRumors.com reports that the minimum NBA salary for 2023-24 is $1.1 million.
The WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement decrees that a, “player’s salary may increase or decrease in relation to the previous Season’s Salary by no more than three percent”.
This means that if Reese made $72,000 as a rookie, her 2025 salary would only increase to $74,160. After that, her 2026 salary would be about $76,385.
There’s also a number of performance-based bonuses that Reese could earn.
For example, she would earn $1,500 if she was to make the All-WNBA Rookie Team or All-WNBA Defensive Team. Both Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year would earn her $5,150 each.
Yet, incentives aside, that potential salary still pales in comparison to the estimated $1.8 million in NIL deals that Reese accrued at LSU, according to On3.com.
It’s important to note Reese won’t lose that NIL money by going to the WNBA.
NIL money comes from the various brands and sponsorships Reese has. Therefore, her salary will become an additional source of income for the LSU superstar.
Angel Reese Has Endorsements With Iconic Brands like Reebok, Beats by Dre, and AirBnb
Reese’s sub-par WNBA salary won’t stop her from making millions through endorsement deals.
According to On3.com, Reese currently has over 25 NIL deals with brands. These include sponsorships with globally-known brands like AirBnb, Amazon, Beats by Dre, Raising Cane’s, Reebok, and many more.
NIL deals are still flowing in for the 2024 SEC Player of the Year. On April 10, On3 announced on X that Reese just inked an exclusive deal with Panini America, which is the world leader in officially licensed collectibles.
When Reese signed her NIL deal with Reebok in October 2023, Shaq — who is President of Reebok Basketball — said of the deal, “For my first appointment in this role, it had to be the GOAT. There is no one making a bigger impact on the game right now than Angel Reese.”
Reese has become quite the businesswoman during her LSU tenure. And since her current deals aren’t going anywhere once she enters the WNBA, Reese has merely scratched the surface of her earning potential.
Will the Chicago Sky Select Angel Reese?
The Chicago Sky currently have both the No.3 and No. 8 picks on the 2024 WNBA Draft.
While the Sky will likely select either Cameron Brink, Kamilla Cardoso, or Rickea Jackson with the No.3 pick, Chicago Tribune’s Julia Poe believes Chicago could select the LSU icon with pick #8.
“Selecting Reese likely would mean parting with at least one of the team’s current frontcourt players as it would be nearly impossible task to balance minutes for two rookie bigs alongside veterans Izzy Harrison and Elizabeth Williams.” Poe wrote on April 11. “But this front office hasn’t shied away from trading beloved players to gain draft capital and refocus on the future.”
All eyes will be on the Sky during April 15.
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