Angel Reese facing ban and fine days after WNBA pay dispute protest

Angel Reese is facing a potential ban and fine just days after the WNBA players protested over pay.

Reese was one of several WNBA stars involved in a protest ahead of the All-Star game at the weekend.

With negotiations stalling over a new pay agreement, players wore black t-shirts with the message 'pay us what you owe us'.

And now it appears that Reese may be banned for on-court infringements - potentially impacting her earnings.

In the WNBA, a player receives an automatic one-game suspension once they make their eighth technical foul of the year.

And Reese has already been pulled up for seven technical fouls so far this season.

That means she will receive a suspension if she commits one more technical foul.

Angel Reese (left) (Image: Steph Chambers / Staff via Getty)

As her Chicago Sky team still have 21 games left to play this season, there is a good chance she will face a punishment at some stage.

Players are also fined for committing technical fouls, meaning she could suffer financially as well.

For their first three offences, they face a $200 fine, which rises to $400 for their next three fouls.

After they commit a seventh technical foul, which Reese did during Chicago Sky's defeat to Minnesota on July 22, players are fined $700.

What is the WNBA pay dispute?

The league's current collective bargaining agreement was set to run for another two years, but in October it was agreed that it would end earlier.

Under that deal players are entitled to 25 per cent of profits, so long as the league meets its revenue targets each year.

According to IndyStar, this means one player in a team may earn up to $250,000 per year, while rookie contracts start at $72,000.

This is starkly different to the NBA, where players receive 50 per cent of all revenue generated, regardless of targets being met.

Angel Reese (right) (Image: Steph Chambers / Staff via Getty)

What have key NBA figures said about WNBA pay?

Some of the NBA's biggest stars, including LeBron James and Steph Curry have previously spoken in favour of narrowing the huge pay gap between their competition at the WNBA.

In an interview with ESPN in 2024, James described WNBA stars, including Reese and Caitlin Clark, as 'icons'.

He said: "I don't think there's much difference between the men's and women's game when it comes to college basketball."

Golden State Warriors shooter Curry has also been one of the most vocal voices in addressing the pay dispute.

In 2018, he wrote in the Players’ Tribune: "I think it’s important that we all come together to figure out how we can make that possible, as soon as possible.

"Not just as 'fathers of daughters' or for those sorts of reasons.

"And not just on Women's Equality Day. Every day – that's when we need to be working to close the pay gap in this country.

"Because every day is when the pay gap is affecting women."