Angel Reese’s Future WNBA Salary Could Compare to 4-Time All-Star

Getty Angel Reese argues with a referee on March 9.

Angel Reese’s rookie salary will be $73,439, after being drafted by the Chicago Sky with the 2024 WNBA draft’s No. 7 overall pick.

After her rookie year, Reese will earn $74,909 in 2025 and $82,399 in 2026, followed by a $93,363 salary in 2027.

These salaries are determined by the league’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA), as part of the WNBA’s standard rookie contract. 

But after that rookie contract ends in 2027, Reese will be eligible for a new deal. And Reese will earn much more than she did as a rookie when that time comes.

Reese’s second WNBA contract has a projected salary of $200,000 per year.

Here’s how we calculated that projected salary:

If she continues to develop, the LSU superstar’s game is comparable to current WNBA player Jonquel Jones.

Jones plays forward for the New York Liberty. She is a four-time WNBA All-Star, three-time All-WNBA Defensive Team honoree, 2021 WNBA MVP, averaged 11.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game last season, and was the No. 6 overall pick in the 2016 WNBA draft.

Jones’ defensive prowess and rebounding ability make her a fair comparison for Reese, if Reese continues to improve with Chicago. 

After her rookie contract ended in 2019, Jones signed a two-year deal with the Connecticut Sun that was worth $187,750 per season, per Spotrac. 

This is what we’re basing Reese’s future contract on. Yet, we think Reese will earn more than Jones did in her second contract due to her unquestioned star power. 

Angel Reese’s Superstardom Will Affect Her WNBA Salary

The WNBA is in dire need of superstars. And this 2024 draft class is chock-full of them — especially Reese and Caitlin Clark. 

This is proven by Reese having 3 million Instagram followers. She has multiple times more followers than three of the WNBA’s biggest stars: A’ja Wilson (855,000), Sabrina Ionescu (1.1 million), and Kelsey Plum (885,000). 

The Sky will receive much more attention with Reese rostered than they did in the past. And more attention means more money for the franchise. 

Even if her game doesn’t develop into something akin to that of Jonquel Jones, Reese will remain a massive star. And her future WNBA salaries will reflect that. 

This current draft class will have their rookie contracts expire in 2027. That might end up being the most important season in WNBA history, for multiple reasons.

What Will a New CBA Mean for WNBA Players?

The WNBA’s current CBA is set to expire in 2027. While discussions for the next CBA will take place long before that, this current crop of rookies will help all of women’s basketball make more money.

On April 17, WRTV’s Scripps News spoke with Terri Carmichael Jackson, Executive Director of the WNBA Players Association, about the WNBA’s future earning prospects as the league expands its audience. 

“So now we have in our 2020 [collective bargaining agreement], a revenue-share provision that ties it to the success of this league at the league level, at the highest level,” Jackson said. “And so when we see the league doing well and we see them bringing in additional corporate partners — which this commissioner has done and done well — when we see them bring in additional broadcast deals, the opportunity to trigger that revenue share becomes that much closer, and we’re very close.”

Essentially, Jackson is saying that more league-wide attention means more pay for WNBA players.

The WNBA is booming right now, and this 2024 rookie class will keep the momentum moving. This means that Reese and Clark could earn much more money by the time their rookie contracts expire.