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There won’t be a championship repeat for Angel Reese and the Louisiana State University Tigers after bowing down to Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division 1 women’s basketball tournament.
With her fourth year in Baton Rouge completed, the All-American forward, known as “Bayou Barbie,” will have a tough choice to make. She could either declare for the WNBA Draft or play her final year at LSU.
If Angel Reese is having difficulty choosing a side, former All-Pro wide receiver Dez Bryant has a suggestion. The former Dallas Cowboys wideout tweeted in response to a post by Women’s Hoops Network:
“They should stay and enjoy college. I think the world enjoy watching college girls hoops more than the WNBA. Respectfully”
Bryant has a point, considering that the LSU-Iowa national championship game last year attracted an average of 9.9 million viewers and peaked at 12.6, per ESPN.
It’s the third-highest average among women’s basketball title games, behind the 1986 game between Texas and USC and the 1983 clash between USC and Louisiana Tech.
Even the 2024 second-round showdown between Iowa and West Virginia drew 4.9 million viewers on ESPN, making it the most-viewed women’s basketball game outside the Final Four and the title games.
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Pitting Angel Reese's NIL earnings vs five highest WNBA salaries
The massive attention women’s college basketball is getting attracts brands that want to market their product to the widest audience possible. That’s why famous players like Angel Reese earn big sums of money through name, image and likeness deals.
As one of the top NIL earners, Reese is pulling in $1.8 million from the deals she signed with Amazon, Bose, Discord, TurboTax and Outback Steakhouse, among others. Her estimated earnings put her in eighth place in the On3 NIL 100 list.
That amount dwarfs the top WNBA salaries in terms of total value and annual average. Among active players, Dallas Wings forward Natasha Howard has the most lucrative contract at four years, $898,700, per Spotrac.
After her are Alyssa Thomas (four years, $836,000) and Arike Ogunbowale (three years, $725, 952). Completing the top five are Marina Mabrey (three years, $620,000) and Kelsey Mitchell (three years, $618,000).
Even the top players of the defending WNBA champions are not getting great fortune. The Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum have two-year, $400,000 contracts.
With her NIL money more than double the highest WNBA salary, Angel Reese will weigh her options before coming up with a decision.
