LSU's Angel Reese inks exclusive deal with Panini America

Ahead of Monday night’s WNBA draft, Angel Reese inked a new multi-year endorsement deal.

The LSU star signed an exclusive trading card agreement with Panini America. Through the partnership, Panini launched a special instant card commemorating the announcement and the first product for consumers is expected to be her Panini Instant WNBA Draft Night trading card.

Reese will be featured in Panini’s collegiate and WNBA products, including a WNBA origins set to be released in August. As part of the deal, Panini will also now sell Reese’s exclusive autograph memorabilia.

An NIL star with millions of social media followers, Reese catapulted the women’s game into the national spotlight. She is also an elite post-player. The SEC Player of the Year averaged 18.6 points and 13.4 rebounds this season.

“Angel is an outstanding talent and an electric player, and we are excited to welcome her to the Panini family as an exclusive athlete,” Panini America’s senior vice president for marketing Jason Howarth said. “We look forward to offering her fans Angel’s trading cards and memorabilia.”

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Last spring’s NCAA Tournament run and national title turned Reese into a social media star. When she flashed the “you can’t see me” wave at Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and pointed at her ring finger, social media set off into a divisive conversation. Some defended Reese and others called the LSU forward classless.

Along with gaining north of 3.5 million social media followers, the LSU forward became a part of pop culture. Reese became one of the first college athletes to appear in SI Swimsuit. She made an appearance in a Latto and Cardi B music video. Reese joins Clark as the latest Panini America signee.

She is expected to be a top-10 pick in Monday night’s WNBA draft. According to the latest mock from ESPN, Reese is slated to go No. 8 overall to the Chicago Sky. How Reese’s offensive game translates to the next level is the biggest question heading into draft night.

“I’m excited to join Panini as an exclusive athlete for autograph trading cards and memorabilia,” she said.  “As a little girl growing up you always dream of playing basketball and getting your first trading card – I can’t wait for fans everywhere to be able to start collecting my Panini cards.”

Angel Reese primed for endorsement deals in WNBA

Angel Reese has a significantly larger social media following than the average WNBA player. The current WNBA salary is not comparable to the NBA. The base salary for a WNBA lottery pick in Year 1 is $78,006. There are incentives on the side.

For example, the league’s Rookie of the Year makes a $5,150 bonus and all-stars receive $2,575. In 2015, The New York Times reported that Phoenix Mercury star Diana Taurasi, a holder of an Italian passport, was paid close to $1.5 million annually by the Russian powerhouse UMMC Ekaterinburg. The WNBA max contract in 2024 is $208,219.

Reese held an On3 NIL Valuation of $1.8 million, the second-highest women’s basketball valuation trailing this past season. She partially purchased her own Mercedes-Benz EQS580 a year ago. The retail price for the vehicle was more than $120,000. Despite having her “Bayou Barbie” trademark declined, Reese has built an NIL portfolio that checks off the modeling, fashion and lifestyle categories she wants to be involved in.

 “I think at this point, she’s got the following to back it up where she can be doing long-term partnerships that truly align with her brand and her messaging, and finding those brands that align with that as well,” her agent, Jeanine Ogbonnaya, previously told On3.