Angel Reese sees NIL skyrocket, praises women’s basketball for leading in the space

When Angel Reese decided to transfer to LSU, she probably dreamed about winning a national championship. Now, she’s living that dream and has found that opportunities are presenting themselves to her both on and off the court.

During an appearance on Keyshawn, JWill and Max, Reese was asked what the biggest difference for her was once she got to LSU in the transfer portal.

“Honestly, just being able to have a fresh start and being who I was,” Angel Reese said. “I mean, I was always who I was but I didn’t have the platform. I mean, SEC, LSU, we’ve got the spotlight this year. And just to see how much my platform has grown on and off the court because I feel like I’ve always been this player and I was having these numbers at Maryland, but just being able to see me get better, have confidence, be happy.”

Off the court, Reese has seen the impact of her time at LSU too, with her NIL value and opportunities shooting through the roof.

“And then, off the court, how much my NIL has shot through the up. I mean, I started at LSU with 70k followers and now I’m at a million, so you can kind of see the growth there.”

As of now, Angel Reese has an On3 NIL Valuation of $876,000. Since March 28th, her NIL value has raised by $485,000, or 124%.

The On3 NIL Valuation is a proprietary algorithm, which establishes the overall NIL market and projected 12-month growth rate. It does so by combining Brand Value Index and Roster Value Index. Those are calculated using data points relating to performance, influence, and exposure.

She is currently 31st in the On3 NIL 100, which college and high school athletes of all sports by their On3 NIL Valuation. Reese is currently third behind the Cavinder twins in the On3 Women’s Basketball NIL Rankings. Reese has NIL deals with Raising Cane’s, TurboTax, and Bose, among others.

Angel Reese went on to explain that NIL is excellent for her and women’s basketball as a whole, pointing out that it’s not just a tool used in football.

“I think women’s basketball might be leading in NIL deals. I know I’m leading the country in NIL deals. So, I have somebody that I work with that is really great. She’s helped me a lot with that stuff. I think it’s a positive and a negative,” Reese said.

“I mean, you get the good and the bad with it, of course, but as a woman it’s going into the WNBA, potentially next year, knowing that I could make a lot of money in college then going into the WNBA knowing that I don’t really have to worry about much. So, I think it’s great, especially for me, I’ve been able to market and because I know I’m not just a basketball player — I like to model. But being able to get all those things and then on the court being able to play is just great.”

Angel Reese on being herself

After winning the national championship, Angel Reese faced criticism for her celebration, which some saw as her taunting Caitlin Clark. However, Reese defended her actions as being true to herself.

“I’m happy, I mean all year I was critiqued about who I was. I don’t fit the narrative, I don’t fit in the box that y’all want me to be in. I’m too hood, I’m too ghetto. Y’all told me that all year. But when other people do it, y’all don’t say nothing,” Reese said.

“So this is for the girls that look like me. That’s gonna speak up on what they believe in, it’s unapologetically you, and that’s what I did it for tonight. This was bigger than me tonight, it was bigger than me.”