Angel Reese on WNBA future: I'm in no rush, I'm making more money than some in the league

Angel Reese has dominated the basketball world over the past week. LSU took down Iowa to win the program’s first national championship where Reese recorded a 15-point and 10-rebound double-double. For the season, she finished tops in the SEC in both scoring — 23.0 points per game — and on the glass at 15.4 rebounds per game.

Despite the on-court dominance, Reese is not eligible for the WNBA Draft. In order to jump to the WBNA, players either must be 22 years old or a college graduate. At this point, Reese is neither. She will turn 21 this upcoming May and just completed her junior season.

Even if she could leave Baton Rouge, there is no rush for Reese. She claims the NIL money being made is more than what the WNBA’s best players are making. Reese has seen her recent success really open the doors for serious NIL deals.

“I’m not in a rush,” Reese said via the I AM ATHLETE podcast. “I’m chilling right now. I am in no rush to go to the league. The money I’m making is more than some of the people that are in the league that might be top players.”

Heading into the 2023 season, Jackie Young of the Las Vegas Aces is the highest-earning player in the WNBA. The former 2019 No. 1 overall pick is set to make just over $250,000 this year. An average player in the league will make around $100,000.

Reese has seen her On3 NIL Valuation soar in the latest update, now coming in at $876,000 and making for a $485,000 jump since the beginning of the Final Four. She now sits at No. 3 overall in the women’s basketball NIL rankings, with only the Cavendar twins, Haley and Hanna, at Miami ahead of her.

The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation calculates an athlete’s NIL value using dynamic data points targeting three primary categories: performance, influence and exposure.

The latest NIL deal for Reese was announced on Tuesday, with the LSU star signing with Raising Cane’s. Reese and fellow national championship headliner Caitlin Clark were able to ink with the restaurant and capitalize on becoming stars of the sport.

Reese will be eligible to leave for the WNBA this time next year due to meeting the age requirement. However, if we believe what she’s saying right now, we will not see Reese out of the college game until she is out of eligibility.