Angel Reese Is The Highest-Paid Black Woman In Basketball—And Nearly All Of It Comes Off The Court

Only a fraction of the WNBA star’s $9.4 million earnings came from her league salary.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 07: Angel Reese #5 of the Chicago Sky warms up before a game against the Las Vegas Aces at T-Mobile Arena on September 07, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Aces defeated the Sky 80-66. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Angel Reese is the highest paid Black woman in basketball right now.

She ended 2025 with an estimated pay of $9.4 million, according to Forbes. The 23-year-old, who plays for the WNBA’s Chicago Sky, only made a portion of that cash on the court. About $0.4 million came from games. Her other $9 million? Off-court endorsements and brand work.

“The WNBA don’t pay my bills at all. I don’t even think it pays one of my bills,” she said on Instagram Live last year. The professional athlete’s salary this year was a meager $74,909 (compared to the NBA with minimum salaries starting over $1 million).

Reese’s endorsements continued growing steadily this year. McDonald’s endorsed her early on in the year, and together, Reese and the fast food company dropped the “Angel Reese Special.” She also walked the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show later in the year, making history as the first pro athlete to walk the bikini-clad catwalk. She is also working with Reebok, Cash App, Good American, and others.

There’s a chance Reese’s numbers will be way up by the end of 2026. The WNBA is currently negotiating higher salaries that could quadruple many players’ income from the game. If negotiations are successful, they would result in projected average salaries of at least $500,0000. While this would be a long-awaited improvement in WNBA, it highlights how women’s pay in sports, even if improving, is still legions behind that of men.

Reese’s $9.4 million income for 2025 doesn’t just make her the highest paid Black woman in basketball, but it also makes her one of the highest-paid Black women across all sports. Tennis players rank usually highest on that list, like Coco Gauff who led with $31 million raked in this year, but basketball players are on the rise. On Forbes‘ list of the highest-paid woman athletes, Reese is no. 15.

Ahead, Reese plans to return to the Chicago Sky for 2026 and continue recovering from a back injury. She’s also gunning for a spot on the 2028 Olympics Team USA.