The WNBA is heading towards a decision that could decide the fate of the competition. The CBA negotiations between the WNBPA and the WNBA are in their final stages. Their current CBA expires in October, which is approximately three months to go to make a very important decision. Chicago Sky star Angel Reese has been very vocal about the “lack of pay” and has explicitly threatened a lockout or player strike if the players’ demands for better pay and revenue share are not met.
“If y’all don’t give us what we want, we sitting out,” Reese said on her ‘Unapologetically Angel’ podcast back in March. Recent reports also indicate that the players are ‘bracing for a lockout’ ahead of the 2026 season. The player has long maintained that her WNBA salary “doesn’t pay her bills.” The players have been long trolled and joked about regarding their low salaries, many of which have involved players themselves.
The jokes keep rolling as a fabricated quote from Angel Reese has gone viral, with the meme claiming she said, “Y’all make $1400 a week, I make $1400 in 7 days.” That quote is slightly rooted in reality, as Reese’s 2025 base salary on a four-year deal is around $74,909. Which is about $1,440 a week when spread evenly across the year. Though purely a humorous invention, many fans took the quote seriously, while others couldn’t stop laughing at the sharp sarcasm behind it.
Fans can’t stop laughing at viral Angel Reese meme
As one of the league’s brightest stars, Angel Reese has won legions of fans and naturally a fair share of haters. Since stepping onto the scene, she’s been the target of countless jokes and memes, a double-edged sword that comes with fame, and this latest viral meme It’s an absolute hit, leaving fans both amused and entertained.
I think…I think that’s the same? Not sure pic.twitter.com/njpubgINai
— NightHawk Capital (@NighthawkTradez) July 29, 2025
“That 1.8 GPA right there,” wrote a fan. Hate to be Captain Obvious, but a week has 7 days, which the quote implies are different things. While it’s a fake quote, fans sometimes fail to verify the facts before commenting on social media. This comment comes from a recent rumor, when Reese was deemed ineligible for the Wooden Award. Many suggested this was due to academic issues, particularly a low GPA.
Reese quashed those rumors. On her podcast, she revealed she had a hard time in the first half of the 2023/24 campaign, which led her to step back to prevent the team from slowing down. Additionally, Reese said she “never had a 1.1 GPA,” but did not reveal her scorecard. She did graduate from LSU with a degree, which suggests that if ever she had any issues with her GPA, those days were past her.
However, her reputation for being a little out of touch just won’t let up, as one fan teased, “I could see her saying this lol.” Another chimed in, “We’re joking, right? Right??” capturing the ongoing disbelief that follows Reese everywhere she goes. It’s been anything but easy for Reese, despite racking up highlights and headlining endorsement deals, she’s had to fight tooth and nail against skeptics eager to question everything she does. S
till, while some critics may cling to their doubts, Reese keeps grabbing the spotlight, proving time and again that whether it’s her play or the memes swirling around her, she’ll always give fans something to talk about.
Another fan, taking the viral quote literally, commented, “So you’re telling me I make the same thing as Angel Reese?” While the meme is fiction, the reality is eye-opening: Reese’s official 2025 WNBA salary clocks in at just $74,909, which breaks down to about $1,440 per week, remarkably close to the average worker in America.
The U.S. per capita personal income stands at $74,545 for 2025, meaning Reese, one of the most recognizable faces in the league, earns what the average American does in a year, all while routinely headlining highlights and selling out arenas. The situation isn’t unique to Reese either. Her rival, Caitlin Clark, another superstar propelling record WNBA ratings and merch sales, is making just $78,066 in 2025 under her rookie contract, right in the same range.
Despite dominating headlines and driving revenue, both Reese and Clark’s league paychecks barely move the needle compared to what their star power delivers. This disservice isn’t lost on fans, who see elite talent being underpaid even as they become the faces of the league. It’s not just those two: nearly every WNBA player under the current pay structure earns well below their true market value, but the spotlight shines brightest, and the pay gap feels most absurd, when it comes to supernovas like Reese and Clark.
Even with a joke that was meant to troll Reese, it further highlighted why the WNBA players need better pay.
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