Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese pulled back the curtain on the financial realities of playing in the WNBA when she revealed her salary doesn’t cover her $8,000 rent.

Reese crunched the numbers in real time during an Instagram Live video and joked that she’s “living beyond my means.”

The 2024 first-round pick earned $73,439 in her first season, a figure that locked in when she was selected seventh overall by the Sky.

Going a little early in the draft wouldn’t have made much of a difference. Salaries for the players chosen first through fourth were $76,535, as outlined in the collective bargaining agreement.

Reese, of course, supplements her WNBA contract with endorsement money. She became a big star at LSU, and the commercial portfolio she built in Baton Rouge came with her to Chicago. Reese’s, Reebok and Beats by Dre are among the companies she has signed deals with.

Off-the-court earnings will remain the 6’3″ forward’s main source of income for years to come. Her rookie deal caps at $93,636 in 2027 before she becomes eligible for restricted free agency.

By then, the WNBA will have a new CBA that reflects the massive media rights deal the league signed in July, a deal that promises to significantly increase player salaries. That day can’t come soon enough for Reese and her colleagues.