Angel Reese Reveals Personal Decision for Basketball Career After Acting Debut Announcement

I’ve seen the likes of Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and more, but for standing firm against the toughest critics, Angel Reese always comes to mind. She’s not just a phenomenal basketball player but a brand of her own. From turning online trolls into a six-figure business to launching an ad campaign that sparked record sales for her debut signature shoe, Reese is leaving her mark in this competitive space. With her talent, she could’ve succeeded in any field, so why did Reese pick basketball?

When rapper-turned-actor Common asked Angel Reese when she realized basketball was something she wanted to pursue professionally, she explained that while she had always loved the game, her decision to go pro stemmed from something far more personal and deeply meaningful. “For me like basketball was something that I always loved because I grew up around it. All my family played basketball.” She didn’t just excel, but used it as her strength to pursue her college!

Reese further added, “My brothers, my mom, my grandparents, my aunts. So, everybody played basketball, and I knew in the back of my mind my mom can’t afford for me to go to college and have to play for full tuition. So I’m like, well s—, if I’m good at it like I continue to thrive on it and go to college for free, cause that was my big goal.” And she didn’t just reach that goal, but blew past it.

Angel Reese earned her way to college through basketball and went on to dominate the game once she got there. She led LSU to a national championship over Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes, cementing her place among the sport’s elite. But her success wasn’t limited to the court. In NIL deals, she pulled in an estimated $1.8 million through deals with Amazon, Reebok, Dr. Dre, and more!

Suffice it to say, since stepping onto a college court, Angel Reese has made sure her mother never has to worry about money again. Her dominance has carried seamlessly into the professional ranks, where she’s turned critics into customers by teasing ‘Mebounds’. (The term was used to mock her.) Then came her signature shoe, the Reebok AR1, backed by a bold, first-of-its-kind marketing campaign that saw the sneakers sell out within hours of launch. And now, Angel Reese is set to broaden her horizons even further.

No, this isn’t about Angel Reese walking the runway for Victoria’s Secret, but her next big move, acting. “I model already, so it’s like adding to the résumé. I’m young right now, so I’m going to do it while I’m young,” she said a few weeks ago. Reese is set to make her on-screen debut with a cameo in the upcoming film A House of Dynamite, starring Idris Elba and slated for release on October 24. Her growing portfolio has already helped her build an estimated net worth of $1.7 million, and with a new CBA on the horizon, that figure is only expected to rise, though Reese may have to wait a bit longer to see it pay off.

What are the factors affecting Angel Reese’s contract extension?

In the current WNBA landscape, Angel Reese is one of the few players who already has a contract in effect for the next season. With the new CBA rules set to kick in (as soon as the agreement is signed), there is bound to be a big increase in player salaries, so when exactly can Angel Reese benefit from these rules?

Well, given how contracts work in the WNBA, Angel Reese will be up for an extension after the 2027 WNBA season. But what are the factors that can dictate the kind of contract she gets? Given her star status, it is easy to assume that she will get the maximum possible money. However, if she is still with the Chicago Sky, and after the passionate comments she had made about trying to win as soon as possible, there could be a scenario where she might be requested to take a pay cut.

With the new CBA, there is a significant chance that some contracts may seem like overpayments. But as we’ve seen in the past, whenever there is a significant change in the salary cap, even the role players get paid like stars. Assuming the Chicago Sky splashes some cash on free agents, there might not be enough room left in the salary cap to accommodate a max contract for Angel Reese. It will be interesting to see how the situation unfolds.