by Sharelle Burt
July 27, 2024
Reese will be playing in the Unrivaled women’s basketball league, founded by fellow WNBA pros Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart.
WNBA All-Star Angel Reese will be keeping busy during the off season by playing in the Unrivaled three-on-three women’s basketball league.
WNBA pros Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart co-founded the league, and Reese announced her participation officially on Instagram with a post dubbed “305 Barbie,” as the tip-off will occur in Miami in January 2025.
The league has promised “historic contract opportunities offering the highest average salary in women’s professional sports history.” With the support of other women’s sports leaders like soccer greats Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, Stewart says the new league is going to prioritize the needs of their stars. “For years, women have relied heavily on off-court sponsorships for a majority of their income,” Stewart said in a statement, the Daily Mail reports.
“With Unrivaled, we’re revolutionizing the game by prioritizing investments in our stars and ensuring their on-court performance is reflected in their pay.”
The impressive roster includes 30 of some of the professional league’s rising stars such as Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd, Rhyne Howard, Kahleah Copper, and Jackie Young. Collier said since the WNBA’s popularity has been on the rise, Reese’s presence is sure to bring new opportunities for the Chicago Sky forward and others. “With the growing popularity of women’s basketball and the WNBA, this is an opportunity for us to extend our visibility into the traditional basketball season,” Collier said.
Since she helped led LSU to a national title during the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Reese has become a household name. Reese has starred in hip-hop music videos as well as secured massive NIL deals from leading brands including Mercedes Benz, Mielle Hair Products and Goldman Sachs.
After becoming the number seven draft pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, the Bayou Barbie has had an impressive rookie season by, according to Bleacher Report, averaging 13.5 points, 11.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. She also set the league record with double-doubles in 15 straight games as well as assisting her team to potential placement.
Basketball fans will see more of Reese after the 3-on-3 season ends. The WNBA recently secured a massive $2.2 billion media rights deal with the Walt Disney Company, which owns ABC, ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, and NBC Universal. The deal starts in 2026 and, if successful, could be extended further.
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