Angel Reese’s Rise And Popularity In The League Is Impressive

The WNBA star’s 2026 campaign is shaping up well

The Women’s National Basketball Association kicked off its 30^th season on May 8. In a press release directed at the upcoming season, WNBA Commissioner Kathy Engelbert stated, “Season 30 arrives at the perfect transformational moment in our league’s history – marking both a defining milestone and the beginning of a new era for the WNBA.” The “new era” Engelbert highlighted includes the Atlanta Dream’s 6’3 forward Angel Reese.

Initially drafted by the Chicago Sky as the seventh overall pick in 2024, Reese was traded to the Atlanta Dream over the past WNBA offseason. At the time of Reese’s trade, she had been voted to two WNBA All-Star games and led the WNBA in rebounding with 12.6 rebounds per game. At the time of her trade, ESPN reported that Reese led the WNBA in 2025 in double-doubles (points & rebounding). The outlet noted Reese is the only player in WNBA history to average 12.0 rebounds per game in a season, a feat accomplished in 2024 and 2025.

Upon joining the Atlanta Dream, Reese, 24, said, “I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity to join the Atlanta Dream organization.” “I’m focused on continuing to grow my game, competing at the highest level, connecting with the fans, and giving everything I’ve got to the Dream.”

Reese’s 2026 campaign is backing up her words. During the Dream’s road season opener on May 9, a 91-90 win over the Minnesota Lynx, Reese became the fastest player in league history to notch 50 career double-doubles. Fox News reported that Reese notched the accomplishment in 65 games, surpassing Tina Charles’ mark of 75 games. Reese, in her Dream debut, finished the game with 11 points and 14 rebounds.

Reese’s dominance extends off the WNBA hardwood. She was “the highest paid Black woman in basketball right now,” ESSENCE reported, stating Reese’s 2025 estimated income was $9.4 million, with $9 million coming in “off-court endorsements and brand work.”

Reese emphatically stated in an Instagram post, “The WNBA don’t pay my bills at all. I don’t even think it pays one of my bills.”

Reese’s financial forecast is bright. In 2025, Reese’s endorsement list included McDonald’s, Victoria’s Secret, Reebok, Cash App, Good American, and others. The fast-food burger behemoth created the “Angel Reese Special,” while the lingerie producing giant made Reese the first pro athlete to “ever walk the Victoria’s Secret runway,” and in 2026, Reebok released Reese’s signature shoe, the Angel Reese 1’s.

Jidi Osifeo, Reebok’s head of basketball, told ESPN in 2024 of Reese’s signing, “Reebok and Angel are growing together every day, and our visions for the future are aligned. We’re excited to continue the relationship with a ground-up build of her signature silhouette.”

An objective barometer of popularity in the WNBA is jersey sales, and Reese finished fourth in the league. In addition, Forbes reported the WNBA trading cards now outvalue those of their NBA contemporaries. The report noted Reese came in second place in the league, behind fellow 2024 rookie Caitlyn Clarke, with 7,200 graded cards (Clarke is leading the league in 105,000 graded cards since the start of the 2024 WNBA season).

The recently signed Collective Bargaining Agreement by the Women’s National Basketball Association Players Association, which runs until 2032, will undoubtedly raise Reese’s on-court finances. Reese, who is still playing on a four-year 2024 rookie contract valued at $324,383, earned $74,909 in 2025 and is due to make $350,692 in 2026, according to Sportac’s contract breakdown.