Sky striker Angel Reese – “The WNBA doesn’t pay my bills”

With ratings, interest and attendance at unprecedented levels, one of the WNBA's most marketable stars says the money she makes as a player isn't nearly enough to cover her expenses.

“I just hope you all know,” Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese said on Instagram Live on Wednesday, “the WNBA doesn’t pay my bills at all. I don't even think she pays any of my bills. In the truest sense of the word.”

Reese reported a monthly rental payment of $8,000 a month, or $96,000 a year, dwarfing the $73,439 she earned as a rookie with Sky this season.

She jokingly added: “I live beyond my means!”

Make no mistake, Reese is in an enviable position compared to many of her WNBA peers; On3 awarded her a name, image and likeness rating of $1.8 million during her senior year at LSU, ranking her among the top ten highest-earning female athletes. Reese told ESPN in May that she made more money as an endorser and influencer in the pros.

“The check I get here is a bonus,” Reese said earlier in the season. “The ability to play for four to five months and get $75,000 on top of the other endorsement deals I do, I think is a plus for me.”

Reese has deals with endorsers including Reebok, Good American, Tampax, beauty brand Mielle, Beats by Dr. Dre and Hershey's Reese's Pieces Candy. She sells Angel Reese-branded merchandise on her website and launched a podcast in September called “Unapologetically Angel,” which caught the attention of guests Sheryl Swoopes and Dwyane Wade.

She also revealed plans to join Unrivaled, a new 3-on-3 women's league that will debut in January and whose salaries for the eight-week season are expected to be $250,000, including equity. The maximum salary for the WNBA this season is $241,984.

“To be able to be in Miami from January to March and not have to travel abroad,” Reese explained her decision to reporters in August. “Nobody wants to go abroad. Many of us never want to have to go abroad, but unfortunately some people have to go abroad, so being able to make six figures in three months, being placed in Miami, just being able to to get better. … I look forward to it.

Many WNBA players travel abroad in the offseason to supplement their salaries. Reese's Sky teammate Kamilla Cardoso is playing for the Women's Chinese Basketball Association this offseason.

Fans can expect players' money to come under more scrutiny this offseason.

The increased attention and the media rights deal signed for the WNBA this offseason have caused players in leadership positions in the players' union to reconsider their salaries. The players and the league have until November 1 to opt out of their current collective bargaining agreement and renegotiate the terms, including salaries.

“People are finally appreciating us and realizing our value and what we have to offer,” Breanna Stewart told ESPN this year after learning of the new media rights deal. “I’m really excited about how it will continue to improve this league in a lot of ways, one being salaries.”

Stewart is vice president of the WNBA Players Association.