WNBA star Angel Reese has exceeded the expectations of her former agents.
During a panel discussion at ComplexCon 2024, Nov. 16-17, in Las Vegas, NV, the Chicago Sky player looked back on the discouraging advice she received from her former agents, who had low expectations for her success with name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals.
“I used to be with an agency, and I’m not with the agency anymore,” the 22-year-old explained on the panel, moderated by Speedy Morman, according to Complex. “And initially when I was with the agency, that specific agency told me I was never going to make over $2,000. … And that was when NIL first started.”
Reese would prove those agents wrong. She has secured a slew of NIL deals with companies that include:
- Wingstop
- McDonald’s
- Raising Cane’s
- Amazon
- Sonic
- Bose
- Banter by Piercing Pagoda
- TurboTax
- Xfinity
- JanSport
- Outback Steakhouse
In April 2024, her NIL valuation had reached $1.8 million, notes The Street. Reese is now working with new agents, Jeanine Ogbonnaya and Gina Paradiso and has since been leveraging her brand, aligning herself with Reebok, launching her own podcast titled “Unapologetically Angel”, and securing a partnership with General Mills for its REESE’S PUFFS Cereal.
“Don’t put me in a box, put me on one 🤩 What an honor it is to be @reesespuffs first cover athlete! Truly a dream come true,” she said of the REESE’S partnership on Instagram.
Reese also speaks to the revenue she has been bringing in with the support of both Ogbonnaya and Paradiso.
“Now it’s been me and my agent [Jeanine Ogbonnaya], and I have another agent, Gina [Paradiso], that works with me for basketball,” Reese expressed during ComplexCon 2024. “But it’s been me and her since then. Being able to make deals, being able to create a brand outside of basketball and we’ve made millions of dollars, just us two. It’s just been us two.”
