Angel Reese joins Caitlin Clark with exclusive memorabilia partnership
LSU’s Angel Reese has officially declared for the 2024 WNBA draft and is expected to go in the first round. The first round consists of 12 picks and Reese is expected to go in the top 10.
Despite what some pundits say, these high-profile athletes will not make less money playing professional basketball than they did in college. They will not only have a myriad of NIL deals, known in professional sports as sponsorships but also draw a salary from their respective teams.
One of the sponsorships Reese will take with her to the WNBA is a multiyear, exclusive partnership with Panini America, which includes Reese’s autographed trading cards and memorabilia.
“Angel is an outstanding talent and an electric player, and we are excited to welcome her to the Panini family as an exclusive athlete,” said Jason Howarth, Panini America’s senior vice president of marketing and athlete relations.
A true game changer, on and off of the court 🏀👑
Honored to welcome the iconic @Reese10Angel to the Panini Exclusive Family!
Angel’s first Panini Cards will be available at 3:00 PM EST here: https://t.co/3XsYkmPG2a #WhoDoYouCollect pic.twitter.com/dWAA9AoHEv
— Panini America (@PaniniAmerica) April 10, 2024
According to Sportico, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark signed an exclusive partnership in early March with Panini America in a multiyear agreement worth over $1 million in the first year of the deal. Clark was the first female athlete to have partnership exclusivity covering trading cards and signed memorabilia, and Reese was the second.
“I’m excited to join Panini as an exclusive athlete for autograph trading cards and memorabilia,” Reese said. “As a little girl growing up, you always dream of playing basketball and getting your first trading card – I can’t wait for fans everywhere to be able to start collecting my Panini cards.”
The WNBA draft occurs on April 15 in New York (ESPN, 7:30 p.m. ET).
