WNBA star rookie Angel Reese has already decided what she’ll do during her first offseason.
Reese became the league’s first rookie to join Unrivaled, a player-owned professional women’s basketball league co-founded by Minnesota Lynx’s Napheesa Collier and New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart.
The Miami-based three-on-three league is scheduled to launch in January 2025.
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Angel Reese, wearing team WNBA number 5, watches practice at the Footprint Center on July 19, 2024 in Phoenix. (Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images)
Rees made the announcement on social media alongside Unrivaled.
“305 Barbie,” she wrote in the post, complete with a crown emoji, “305” being Miami’s zip code. “See you in Miami.”
Reese becomes the 10th player to join Unrivaled, who also include Stewart, Collier, Chelsea Gray, Aleke Ogunbowale, Jewel Loyd, Kelsey Plumb, Rhyne Howard, Kalia Copper and Jackie Young.
Angel Reese jokes that she’ll be friends with All-Star team member Kaitlyn Clark “for one day”
It’s not uncommon for WNBA players to earn extra pay by playing elsewhere in the offseason, usually by earning a roster spot overseas.
But Unrivaled players will have a fair stake in the success of the league, which features 30 of the game’s best players playing across six three-on-three teams and boasts “historic signing opportunities offering the highest average salary in the history of a women’s professional sports league.”
The league includes original founding partner Ally Financial, as well as top athletes from a variety of sports, including U.S. Women’s National Team legends Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, NBA icons Carmelo Anthony and Steve Nash, and many top names in business, including Gary Vaynerchuk.
Chicago Sky No. 5 Angel Reese watches the second half of a game against the Atlanta Dream at Wintrust Arena on July 10, 2024 in Chicago. (Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“For years, women have relied heavily on off-court sponsorship for the majority of their income,” Stewart said, via the New York Post. “With Unrivaled, we’re revolutionizing the sport by prioritizing investment in our stars and ensuring that their pay reflects their on-court performance.”
Popularity is essential to any league’s success, and Reese has already brought the WNBA more viewership than any other female player has achieved in this new league’s past seasons.
Along with Caitlin Clark and other rookies who were star college players, Reese’s post-game performances and comments sparked further discussion on talk shows and social media, helping to increase interest in the game.
The WNBA All-Star Game featured two rookies for the first time since 2014, with Clark and Reese showcasing their skills as teammates rather than competitors. The game was watched by 3.44 million viewers, and the WNBA defeated Team USA, 117-109.
Reese knows how popular he already is in the pros, but like many of the veteran stars around him, he wants to use his skills and platform to help develop a league where he is treated equally to other basketball players.
Angel Reese, wearing team WNBA number 5, poses for a photo during practice at the Footprint Center on July 19, 2024 in Phoenix. (Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images)
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Reese was drafted seventh overall by the Chicago Sky and signed a four-year, $324,383 contract, with a salary of $73,439 for her rookie season.
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