Angel Reese may be one of the faces of the WNBA, but her time on the court hardly pays the bills. The Chicago Sky's All-Star rookie last week revealed that her $73,439 salary isn't anywhere close to enough to help her make ends meet.
"I just hope y'all know the WNBA don't pay my bills at all," she said during a recent Instagram live, according to ESPN. "I don't even think that pays one of my bills."
Reese said her monthly rent payment is $8,000, meaning that a year's housing costs her $96,000 — more than she earns in a full season. "I'm living beyond my means," she joked.
Her salary wasn't even enough to "pay my car note," she said, laughing that she "wouldn't even be able to eat" and "wouldn't be able to live" on her earnings from the league.
It's not the first time that Reese has opened up about her pay, or lack thereof. Back in May, she told ESPN that her primary income came from her numerous endorsement deals, describing her WNBA earnings as "a bonus."
"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," she said at the time.
Reese has partnerships with brands including Reebok, Beats by Dre and Reese's chocolates.
Money Report
She also spends part of her offseason participating in Unrivaled, a new 3v3 league whose inaugural season will take place in Florida, to earn some extra cash. In the past, WNBA players have traveled to countries like Russia to supplement their salaries.
"A lot of us never wanna have to go overseas, but some people do have to go overseas, unfortunately," she said in August. "Being able to make six figures within three months [in Unrivaled], being able to be housed in Miami, just being able to get better …. I think it's amazing."
Currently, the highest paid WNBA player is Las Vegas Aces star Jackie Young, who earned just over $250,000 this season. The NBA's salary leader, meanwhile, is Steph Curry, who earned $51.9 million from the Golden State Warriors last year and will make $55.7 million this upcoming season.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert emphasized at the CNBC Changemakers Event earlier this year that the league is making progress in catching up to men's leagues that are "75 to 120 years old."
"We're tipping off our 28th season. I would say if you look at [the other leagues] 28 seasons in, we're further ahead," she said. "But we realize we still have a lot of work to do, and it's all about the ecosystem around us that drives revenue."
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