Angel Reese was an obvious omission from the WNBA All-Star Orange Carpet event on Thursday, as she chose to attend an NBA Summer League game instead.
While Caitlin Clark , A'ja Wilson , Kelsey Plum , and Brittney Griner were all at the event on-site in Phoenix, Reese posted selfies while watching the Houston Rockets face the Minnesota Timberwolves in Las Vegas. She was called out by fans for choosing to skip the opening event of her first All-Star weekend but fired back with a dig toward the WNBA.
One fan wrote: "Angel just ------ me off. your first All-Star event as a rookie and you are still in Vegas at a ------- summer league game?????? good night man." The LSU product replied, hinting that she was making a statement against the WNBA salaries.
"It’s ok babe. I’m minding the business that PAYS me," Reese responded. It's not clear why Reese has been paid to attend the Summer League, although sponsorships are likely, the fact that she's publicly stating that she's willing to skip a major event for income elsewhere sent a clear message.
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Reese is also a fan of the Summer League and has been in Vegas this week watching several games. The Chicago Sky rookie was previously seen sitting with Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown and his girlfriend Kysre Gondrezick while watching the Los Angeles Lakers.
The coverage focused on Reese several times during the broadcast and even used her as an opportunity to promote the WNBA All-Star Game, which may be another reason why she was there. But Reese was enjoying herself, posting selfies to her four million followers on Instagram as she watched with friends.
Reese's rookie salary is $73,439 on a contract that extends until 2028 should her fourth-year option be picked up. The Sky used its seventh-overall selection on Reese in the 2024 WNBA Draft, but her salary is a fraction of what NBA rookies make.
In contrast, Tidjane Salaun, who was the seventh-overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, signed a four-year, $34,035,473 contract with the Charlotte Hornets including $15,351,960 guaranteed. Reese earns more from endorsement deals than she does from her WNBA salary after signing deals with Reebok and Beats by Dr Dre.
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Reese has already admitted that she's prioritizing "building her brand" due to the lack of money paid out in the WNBA and previously described her Chicago salary as a bonus. "Everybody knows the WNBA doesn’t make that much money, so I just want to be able to grow my brand as much as I can in college before I go to the WNBA," Reese told Sports Illustrated.
She added: "Obviously, people thought [that] me leaving college, I would take a huge pay gap, pay drop. 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 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.
"I mean, I play the game I love, not for the money; I play the game because I love basketball and genuinely love basketball. Now that I’m a pro and being able to continue to work with these brands long-term, I think [it’s] something people don’t really realize, like so many different people are signed with so many different brands."
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