The conclusion of another WNBA season, which saw the New York Liberty crowned champions, highlighted the emergence of two promising talents in the league: Caitlin Clark with the Indiana Fever and Angel Reese with the Chicago Sky. Sports legend Sue Bird delivered a clear message to them about what lies ahead in the sports industry.
In a recent appearance on NBC’s “Meet The Press” alongside soccer star Megan Rapinoe, Bird noted how both players, after signing contracts with various brands in recent days, tend to see themselves more as a brand than solely as professional athletes.
“It’s really fun, rewarding, and also interesting to watch these younger athletes step into their professional careers. Obviously, Caitlin and Angel are two great examples. What I see immediately, and I think some of this has to do with NIL in college, right? Like so much earlier, these athletes are thinking about themselves as businesses, as brands, and it’s amazing because they’re carrying that with them to the WNBA. And so everything’s just bigger,” Bird stated.
The former Seattle Storm player highlighted and emphasized the differences today regarding young players signing major brand deals compared to when she started her journey in the WNBA back in 2002, when she was drafted in the first round.
Sue Bird speaks during ION’s fan ConnectION at Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal on October 24, 2024 in New York City.
“They just seem so much more self aware, in that way, in a business sense, than I ever was at that age. I would say that you ever were [to Rapinoe] , because that just wasn’t our worlds, right? But now they’re in that world. And so my only advice is usually just to make sure they keep basketball the main thing, because at the end of the day, that is your vehicle. It’s your vehicle to, Angel Reese has a podcast. It’s her vehicle to be a podcaster, right? Whatever Caitlin ends up doing, it’s the vehicle to get you to that point.”
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Bird and the balance between sports and business
Continuing with her interview, the former Storm player expressed her belief in the need for a constant balance between sports and business in the WNBA, citing a clear example like LeBron James in the men’s league.
“So you always want to make sure that part doesn’t fall off, and I think now we’re experiencing it a little bit in retirement,” Bird stated. “We experienced it towards the end of our careers. It’s a balance. You have to find that balance. But when you look at some of the other athletes, particularly men who’ve set a little bit of a blueprint in terms of the business and the sport, you never see LeBron [James] miss a workout, and that’s so that’s just something we did at the end of our career, find that balance. And I would just always want to encourage younger people to make sure they find that balance.”
Angel Reese #5 of the Chicago Sky brings the ball up court during the game against the Indiana Fever at Wintrust Arena on August 30, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.
Reese and a new contract in her career
The star of the Chicago Sky, who represented LSU during her college days, made headlines once again after signing a new deal with one of the most recognized brands in the sports industry.
Angel Reese had joked about her WNBA salary on social media days before the agreement, and following that episode, she secured a new deal with Reebok.
“Reebok and Angel are growing together every day and our visions for the future are aligned,” Jide Osifeso, Reebok’s head of basketball, told ESPN. “We’re excited to continue the relationship with a ground-up build of her signature silhouette.”
