Angel Reese Reveals Why She Joined New Women's Basketball League
It was announced on June 24 that Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese would be taking part in the new 'Unrivaled' women's basketball league.
For those who don't know, Unrivaled is a 3x3 basketball league that was started by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier. The league is set to begin in January 2025 and will take place in Miami, Florida.
Reese was the 10th of 30 WNBA players that will compete in the league; all of whom will earn the largest individual salaries in women's professional sports league history.
Reese spoke with the media after her Sky practice on Wednesday. When asked what went in to her decision to join Unrivaled, the "Chi Barbie" delivered some interesting insights.
"I mean, being able to be... in Miami from January to March, not having to go overseas, I never planned on going overseas," Reese said, per Julia Poe. "So that already sparked me."
"Nobody wants to go overseas," Reese added. "A lot of us never want to have to go overseas, but some people do have to go overseas, unfortunately.
"So being able to make... six figures [in Miami] in three months... just being able to get better at 3 on 3 is something that I love to do. I haven't been able to play [3 on 3] competitively, but I think I can be able to work on some of my individual skills by being able to play because 3 on 3 exposes everything."
Angel Reese on joining Unrivaled, the 3v3 league co-founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier: “Nobody wants to go overseas.” pic.twitter.com/zGfBYFbdXL
— Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) August 7, 2024
Reese is alluding to annual WNBA individual salaries (which average about $120,000 in 2024) making it so some players spend the offseason playing for professional leagues abroad to earn extra money.
Unrivaled, on the other hand, will reportedly offer double the average WNBA salary to all of its players (per The Athletic insider Shams Charania), with some of the league's biggest names earning much more than that. This eliminates the need for players like Reese to spend their offseason playing outside America.
While the financial incentive makes sense, Reese also believes playing 3x3 basketball will help hone her basketball skillset.
It will be interesting to see Reese competing for Unrivaled in early 2025. It will also be interesting to see whether any other WNBA rookies will join her there.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.