After the introduction of NIL deals in 2021 college athletes have been offered some huge deals for their likeness as many have become millionaires prior to their debut in the big leagues. Young stars such as Olivia Dunne, Arch Manning and Bronny James have already signed multiple NIL deals during their collegiate careers with the latter two holding a joint NIL valuation of $10.9 million despite only enrolling in college earlier this year. Although the aforementioned stars have a huge market share in the NIL deal scenario today, LSU Tigers’ Angel Reese is slowly climbing up that ladder with Bayou Barbie’s stock continuing to rise with each passing day. The eccentric forward was thrusted into the spotlight during her run to the NCAA trophy last term where she alongside Iowa’s Caitlin Clark brought some much-needed attention to the women’s division I basketball tournament. Reese’s encounter with Clark saw the women’s game gain a ton of new followers with their matchup averaging 9.9 million viewers which is a record for an NCAA women’s tournament game. Furthermore, the peak viewership number during the Finals hovered around 12.6 million which was double the viewership numbers from the previous season’s championship contest.

While Angel Resse’s popularity continues to grow her NIL valuation isn’t as high as Bronny or fellow LSU stalwart Olivia Dunne as she reportedly earns $876,00 from her NIL deals. Ironically, the sum she earns playing NCAA basketball is already higher than any contract dished out in the WNBA meaning she might earn relatively less when making the jump from college to the league. While that might be the case for now, Reese’s growing popularity could kickstart a change in the WNBA’s wage bill demographic as many believe that Reese could elevate WNBA contracts beyond the $504,900 mark.

Angel Reese currently earns $876,000 while playing NCAA basketball

LSU’s Angel Reese has become quite the fan favorite amongst collegiate fans as the 6’3 star shot to stardom after helping Louisiana win their maiden NCAA basketball title last season. The former Mc Donalds All American has been a revelation to say the least and continues to attract interest from various fields as she continues to build her NIL portfolio.

While she may not have huge deals like Bronny James or Arch Manning the 21-year-old leads all college basketball players in the number of NIL deals signed as she boasts 17 deals with the likes of Amazon, Xfinity and Mc Donalds to name a few.

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Her various deals and investments have skyrocketed her net worth to $1 million with the youngster currently earning about $876,000 from all her NIL deals combined. Apart from her NIL deals the LSU star also boasts a huge social media presence and is reported to have earned an estimated figure of $2,974 per sponsored post across all platforms.

WNBA’s biggest contract worth $504,900

Las Vegas Aces star Jackie Young became the highest earner in the WNBA earlier this year as she signed a 2-year contract worth $504,900 with the defending champions. The guard who was drafted by the Aces as their first overall pick in 2019 has been a revelation since joining the Vegas side and has helped them win back-to-back titles for the first time in franchise history.

While the biggest contract offered till date in the WNBA is the $899,480 for 4 years given to trio DeWanna Bonner, Elena Delle Donne and Skylar Diggins-Smith in 2020 the average salary they earned amounted to $224,870 which is significantly lesser than the one offered to Jackie Young in February.

Young who signed a contract worth half a million sees her earn an average salary of $252,450 per year which is significantly more than what the trio were offered three years ago. While a huge figure nonetheless the sum is still measly when compared to Angel Reese’s NIL earnings leaving many to wonder if she can elevate the WNBA contracts beyond the $504,900 mark.

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Can Angel Reese help elevate WNBA contracts beyond the $504,000 mark

With Angel Reese entering her final year in college, teams vying for the first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft will be keeping a keen eye on her as she will finally be eligible to play in the league next year. The 2023 NCAA champion has been a constant performer in the collegiate space and looks to have an instant impact in the WNBA as she looks to bring in a new wave of fans and investment into the league. While she may have earned a fortune in NCAA basketball Reese recently spoke about the contrasting pay demographic during an episode of the ‘Outta Pocket’ podcast as she stated, “The amount of money I can make in college is way more than the amount I can make in the WNBA. So I’m definitely going to be taking that into consideration.”

Given that she is already self-aware of the situation I personally believe that Reese can help elevate WNBA contracts beyond the $504,000 mark as the LSU senior will surely bring in more viewership and sponsors to the WNBA. Additionally, the youngster’s growing popularity in the basketball world will play a huge role in the league’s growth as her arrival also coincides with the WNBA’s plans for an expansion team. With Reese being chosen as the one to kick start Reebok’s revival under Shaq’s leadership it is only a matter of time before the youngster brings her growing influence to the league as the WNBA waits on its first million-dollar contract.

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