The landscape of college basketball has changed forever once it became legal to pay student-athletes. NIL deals are paying some athletes over six figures just for endorsements. While it would seem from the outside looking in that the men would be bringing in the top deals, in fact, it’s a female basketball player giving them a run for their money. Angel Reese of the National Champion LSU Tigers is earning over $1.3M.
You can make the argument that it’s still unfair that she’s behind men in this category but take a second to digest her growth. Before the NCAA Tournament this March, Reese was sitting at $371K in total for her NIL deals. Following their run to the title, everything came together, and rightfully so.
With Reese heading into her Junior season, she’s in no rush to turn pro and head to the WNBA, and why should she? Yes, the level of competition would be more intense and she would fulfill a dream of hers but she’s in college having fun and making bank at the same time. She’s now representing 17 companies and there is a good chance that it won’t end there.
- Campus Ink on 4/05/23
- Raising Cane’s on 4/04/23
- Intuit TurboTax on 4/01/23
- JanSport on 3/21/23
- Bose on 3/14/23
- Banter by Piercing Pagoda on 3/10/23
- Sonic on 3/09/23
- TOGETHXR on 2/11/23
- Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys on 11/17/22
- DTLR on 11/03/22
- Hancock Whitney on 11/02/22
- StyleByStudio33 on 10/24/22
- Coach on 8/25/22
- Amazon Merch on Demand on 7/30/22
- McDonald’s on 4/30/22
- Sparkling Ice on 3/28/22
- Bantam Bagels on 3/27/22
- Xfinity on 3/17/22
- Wingstop on 3/13/22
- TIAA on 3/01/22
- Outback Steakhouse on 2/02/22
- Discord on 12/15/21
- STARFACE on 11/20/21
- Giant Food on 10/30/21
- Prissy Athletics on 8/02/21
While the Tigers did lose talent to the WNBA Draft, Reese didn’t lose anything on a personal level. If anything, her stock is still growing. As it stands now, Resse is the highest-valued women’s college basketball player and the 3rd most-valued women’s college sports player right behind gymnasts Olivia Dunn and Sunisa Lee.
It’s not just her play or stats either. Scroll through IG, Facebook, or any Social Media platform and there are images or videos of Angel Reese in her dorm room, locker room, and on the street meeting with other celebrities or just alone showcasing her personality.
All year, I was critiqued for who I was,” she told reporters after the game. “I don’t fit the narrative. I don’t fit 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. When other people do it, and y’all don’t say nothing.
“So this is for the girls that look like me. For those that want to speak up for what they believe in. It’s unapologetically you. And that’s what I [did] before tonight. It was bigger than me tonight. And Twitter is going to go into a rage every time.
This is what companies want. They want someone who can be relatable to all demographics. Reese, hailing from Baltimore, Maryland is a PR’s dream. She’s skilled, intelligent, approachable, beautiful, driven, and a winner.
Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson on how NIL deals has changed the landscape of college sports!
— TimeoutSPORTS__ (@TimeoutSPORTS3) April 7, 2023
Reese talked about how she is making more money in college than she will in the WNBA! pic.twitter.com/4MzfIjTLAQ
