Angel Reese took a fresh shot at the salaries on offer in the WNBA after banking $50,000 on Monday as her Rose Basketball Club won the inaugural Unrivaled championship.
Reese was ruled out of the final with a hand injury, but her teammates got the job done with a 62-54 victory over Vinyl Basketball Club at Wayfair Arena in Miami, Florida to claim the three-on-three league’s first championship.
Traditionally, WNBA players have had to rely on sponsorship opportunities and gigs playing overseas to supplement their relatively modest income, although Unrivaled has created a lucrative income stream for Reese and her peers.
The league, which has been played throughout the WNBA offseason, boasts average salaries of $220,000, which are much larger than the sums typically on offer in the WNBA. Chicago Sky star Reese, who is heading into her second season in the WNBA, earned a base salary of $73,439 in the first year of her rookie deal. Her base salary will rise to $74,909 this year.
The former LSU standout has been outspoken about the value of rookie contracts in the WNBA and she launched a fresh dig at the league as she celebrated Rose’s win. “50K NEED DATTTTT,” she posted on X.
Her post received a response from two-time WNBA champion Sydney Colson, who joined Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever last month. Colson wrote: Hey Angel girl, I just wanted to check in and see how you’re doing and just let you know I’m here for you if you need anything… especially if you need to get rid of 50k by tomorrow or anything like that…”
Reese, 22, was quick to respond, taking the opportunity to bemoan the value of her rookie deal in the WNBA. She said: “Hey sista. I’m doing well. Just won 50k on a flight. I know you are VERY aware and I’m sorry to break it to you but I’m on a rookie contract and that 50k was a little more than half of my contract, so I have to keep that to myself…. sorry. Give me a few years and I gotchu (sic). Be well.”
Back in October, the seventh overall pick in the 2024 draft took to social media to explain to fans the financial reality of being a WNBA player. “Hating pays my bills, baby,” Reese said in a video. “The WNBA doesn’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. I’m gonna do the math real quick. I don’t even know my [WNBA] salary. I’m living beyond my means. My rent is more than that, it’s $8,000.”
