Angel Reese got a nice payday despite not stepping foot on the court as the Rose BC claimed the inaugural Unrivaled championship on Monday. The entire Rose BC squad scored a $50,000 bonus after winning the title.
However, the Chicago Sky forward compared this bonus money to her WNBA contract and shocked her fans.
Angel Reese Reveals the Grim Reality of WNBA Contracts After Securing $50,000 Bonus
Reese injured her wrist in the final game of the regular season and missed the semifinals and finals of the 3-on-3 league. After her team won 62-54 against the Vinyl BC, she took to X (formerly Twitter) to share her joy about the $50,000 bonus.
“50K NEED DATTTTT,” the 22-year-old posted.
50K NEED DATTTTT
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) March 18, 2025
It didn’t take long for fellow WNBA star Sydney Colson to react to Reese’s celebration. The former Las Vegas Aces point guard jokingly replied to Reese on X: “Hey angel girl, just wanted to check in and see how ur doing and just let u know I’m here for u if u need anything…esp if u need to get rid of 50k by tomorrow or anything like that.”
Reese didn’t shy away from sharing the brutal reality of WNBA contracts, especially with someone else who knows far too well about being an underpaid WNBA star.
“hey sista. i’m doing well. just won 50k on a flight. I know you are VERY aware & i’m sorry to break it to you but i’m on a rookie contract & 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. be well,” replied Reese.
hey sista. i’m doing well. just won 50k on a flight. I know you are VERY aware & i’m sorry to break it to you but i’m on a rookie contract & 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. be… https://t.co/TgUbIgMBPy
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) March 18, 2025
In her rookie WNBA season, Reese made $73,439, which will increase to $74,909 during her sophomore season with the Sky. Hence, the $50,000 bonus represents more than 66% of her yearly salary with the WNBA.
Reese recently made headlines when she said on her podcast “Unapologetically Angel” that WNBA players deserve more money and indicated that a lockout could be on the horizon if the league doesn’t budge in Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations.
Last year, WNBA players opted out of their current CBA, which was originally set to expire in 2027. The current terms will remain in place through the 2025 season, but after that, everything is up for negotiation.
“We deserve more… I need to be in the [players’ union] meetings because I’m hearing that if ya’ll don’t give us what we want, we sitting out,” Reese said.
“If y’all don’t give us what we want… we sitting out.”
– Angel Reese on the CBA
(🎥 @angelreeseshow / https://t.co/59swVuMy6t) pic.twitter.com/JoH4U0TMoE
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 8, 2025
Reese and Dallas Wings star DiJonai Carrington mentioned that the 2026 rookies could benefit the most if salaries are restructured.
Reese is on a four-year, $324,383 contract with the Sky. When she pointed out that next year’s rookies will potentially make more than her, she admitted it “hurt.”
Reese has been an outspoken critic of WNBA salaries. She has never minced words about her pay, and she once went viral for revealing that her paycheck doesn’t even cover her rent.
“Hating pays my bills, baby. I just hope you know the WNBA doesn’t pay my bills at all. I don’t even think that pays one of my bills,” Reese said on Instagram.
“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 salary. Yo, I’m living beyond my means! No, my rent is more than that. It’s $8,000. I’m living beyond my means.”
How Much Did Reese Get Paid in Unrivaled?
Not only did Reese receive a $50,000 bonus for winning the Unrivaled championship, she is rumored to have earned north of $200,000 for playing in the league.
“Each player on the championship-winning club is awarded $50,000 in prize money, in addition to what Unrivaled claims to be the highest average salary in women’s team sports, plus equity in the league,” wrote ESPN’s Kendra Andrews.
While Reese’s exact contract details are unknown, Front Office Sports revealed that Indiana Fever sensation Caitlin Clark was offered a seven-figure contract to play in Unrivaled, so it’s very possible that Reese’s contract was in the high six-figures at least. As previously mentioned, Reese also has equity in the upstart league.
This is a sharp contrast from her four-year, $324,383 contract in the WNBA. Thankfully, the 2024 WNBA All-Star also has major endorsement deals with Reebok, Hershey’s, and Beats by Dre.
Reese and Clark have played a huge role in the WNBA’s surging popularity and new TV deal, yet they aren’t seeing much of that money. The league recently signed an 11-year, $2.2 billion TV deal with Disney, Amazon Prime, and NBC, which is set to begin in 2026.
To put WNBA contracts in perspective, Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, signed a four-year, $57 million contract with the Atlanta Hawks, with an average salary of $14.25 million. Reese is more of a household name than Risacher at this point, yet he’s making way more money than the Sky star.
In fact, even two-way NBA players are making significantly more than Reese. For the 2024-25 NBA season, two-way players are earning $578,577 — more than Reese will make over the duration of her four-year contract.