Angel Reese isn’t backing down from the conversation about WNBA salaries, but she is setting the record straight.
The Chicago Sky basketball legend found herself at the center of a media storm this week after comments from her Unapologetically Angel podcast were taken out of context, sparking claims she demanded WNBA players earn NBA-level pay. Now, the 22-year-old is clarifying her stance and doubling down on her call for fair compensation in a league long criticized for its pay disparities.
On a recent episode of her podcast, Reese and Connecticut Sun guard Dijonai Carrington discussed the WNBA’s evolving pay scales, with Reese emphasizing the need for players to unite at the bargaining table.
“I need to be in the (players’ union) meetings because I’m hearing that if (the league) don’t give us what we want, we’re sitting out,” the Chicago Sky power forward told Dijonai Carrington on her Unapologetically Angel podcast.
“That’s a possibility, for real,” Carrington responded.
But headlines quickly twisted her words, alleging she’d threatened to boycott unless WNBA salaries matched the NBA’s (where the average salary is $ 10 million, compared to the WNBA’s $120,000).
Angel Reese swiftly clapped back on X (formerly Twitter):
“I love how y’all have selective hearing. I said, ‘I’m hearing if they don’t give us what we want, we sitting out,’ and that’s the truth. I never said anything about the NBA.”
“We are prepared to stay at the negotiating table for as long as it takes,” she continued. “Here’s the link to my podcast so you can hear the conversation, too. I will continue to use my voice to speak for what WE want & deserve as a league. Thank ya”
The WNBA has experienced a significant rise in popularity over the past year, largely due to Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark (rivalry).
Reese signed a four-year rookie deal with the Sky before her first professional season, with a base pay of under $75,000.
The WNBA has chosen to opt out of its existing Collective Bargaining Agreement, which means it will end this October rather than in 2027.
WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson said in a statement: “The players made the decision to opt out of the last CBA to realign the business and save the league from its own limitations.
“With a stronger foundation and new investments flowing in, they’re opting out again – this time to fully professionalize the league, secure proper wages, improve working conditions, and lock in meaningful benefits.”
However, some fans argue that unless Clark issues a similar threat, Angel Reese’s threat may have fallen on deaf ears. Agree?
