Angel Reese is one of the WNBA players who will see the largest increase from the historic salary bump. She expects other athletes to use their new money “fly out” their significant others and/or sneaky links.
She did not say whether she will be one of them!
Either way, I find it hard to believe that the high-profile WNBA players were not already planning their road trips around various potential hook ups like their NBA counterparts. Perhaps this new CBA will allow even the least important bench players to do so moving forward.
WNBA players are getting a huge salary increase.
Most people expected the WNBA to enter a lockout for the 2026 season as the league negotiated with the Player’s Association on a new collective bargaining agreement. Myself included.
And then, with less than one month until the start of the new calendar year, they came to an agreement.
The WNBA board of governors unanimously ratified the terms of a new seven-year CBA last week. It features a 400% salary cap increase for 2026 and a major bump in players’ salaries.
Here are a few examples, as projected by ESPN:
- Elite Veteran
- A’ja Wilson
- 2025 salary: $200,000
- 2026 salary: $1.4 million
- Average Veteran
- Alanna Smith
- 2025 salary: $150,000
- 2026 salary: $600,000
- Minimum Veteran
- Eric Wheeler
- 2025 salary: $78,831
- 2026 salary: $300,000
- Elite Rookie
- Caitlin Clark
- 2025 salary: $78,066
- 2026 salary: $530,000
- Projected No. 1 Pick
- 2026 salary: $500,000
That’s a huge jump! Even the least talented WNBA players are finally going to make enough money to live on their salary alone while the most talented players are going to be rich.
Angel Reese is going to fly out her sneaky link.
Speedy Morman, a multi-media journalist known best for his work with Complex Networks, recently spoke with Angel Reese on her podcast ‘Unapologetically Angel.’ She asked him to describe his “type” of woman.
Although his answer mostly dodged the question, it led to a poignant quip.
Reese reminded Morman that she, her teammates and other players in the WNBA make enough money to “fly out” their romantic partners— whether that be a long-term girlfriend or boyfriend, or a sneaky link. They finally make enough money to fly other men/women to their games as a part of the hook up culture.
This kind of thing happens often in the NBA. Athletes will invite someone they met through Instagram or at the club to their games, even if they live in different cities. They buy that person a flight and sometimes even a hotel room under the assumption that they will get to “hang out” after the game. Wink wink.
Reese expects the WNBA to do the same now that the players are getting paid a decent salary. Although, I would imagine the athletes who made enough money to do so through things like endorsements were already doing so. There will just be more dudes who get “flown out” now that they are getting money.