New Chicago Sky player Angel Reese isn't seeking a large WNBA payout.
The 22-year-old basketball star sat down with ESPN's Michele Steele in a chat that was shared on May 24, where around the 4:30-minute mark of the video below, she denied wanting a higher salary.
"I mean, obviously, people thought me leaving college–I would take a huge pay gap and pay drop," the Baltimore native began. "I wasn't getting paid in college, so that check that I do get here is a bonus. I mean, 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 continued, "I mean, I play the game I love, not for the money, I play because I love basketball and genuinely love basketball. And now that I'm a pro and being able to continue to work with these brands long term, I think that's something people don't really realize."
While mentioning her partnership with Reebok, along with other players who have "so many different brands" that they work with, Reese added, "I love that the brands want to work with us and continue to want to work with us."
"I want people to know the deals don't stop in college when you go to the pros, they continue, and I feel like they've even grown even more," she said.
Jokes about women basketball players' salaries flew towards the end of the NCAA tournament in April before athletes like Reese, Caitlyn Clark and others committed to WNBA teams. With Reese having a four-year deal with the Chicago Sky worth $343K, she has 26 brand partnerships with companies including Playstation, Airbnb, Amazon, Tampax and Beats by Dre, per Athalon.
