Nothing to see here
Two of the WNBA’s biggest stars were caught on camera wagering hundreds of dollars on an upcoming game between their teams. And perhaps the craziest part is that they weren’t really “caught” at all – they happily talked about it, filmed the bet themselves, and the league posted the video on its official social media channel.
The WNBA has since deleted the post, but it was saved and re-posted by X user “@zulueditsae.” In the video, someone, possibly a WNBA social media staffer, asked the Dallas Wings’ Paige Bueckers about the bet as she was arriving at a game against the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday. Bueckers feigned ignorance, at which point the video flashed back to a recording of Bueckers and the Dream’s Angel Reese – seemingly filmed by Reese herself – of the two players agreeing to a bet during last week’s WNBA All-Star Game practice session.
Reese was holding $400 in cash and told Bueckers if the Wings beat the Dream on July 29, Bueckers gets the money. Bueckers didn’t quite seem to understand the concept of a wager, as she said, “And if we lose, you get to keep it.”
Reese explained that no, if the Wings lose to the Dream, Bueckers owes Reese $400.
The video cut back to Bueckers on Wednesday a couple times and ended with her finally acknowledging the bet, saying, “I’m standing on it.”
The Dream beat the Wings 82-81, so it appears that Paige Bueckers owes Angel Reese $400.
WNBA out of line
The video has stirred controversy, primarily because it was promoted by the WNBA. The league, or at least a social media editor, probably thought it was a fun look at two All-Stars goofing around, but when it finally occurred to someone that they were celebrating two players gambling on their own games, it got taken down.
According to the WNBPA Collective Bargaining Agreement, it is strictly against the rules for players to bet on games. Per rule 5c: “Any player found by the Commissioner after a hearing to have been guilty of wagering (directly or indirectly), or of offering or attempting to wager, money or anything of value on the outcome, score, or any other aspect of any WNBA Competition shall, in the sole discretion of the Commissioner, be subject to a fine, suspension, and/or dismissal and disqualification from any further association with the WNBA.”
Now, it is unrealistic to think that Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers, two of the faces of the league, will be banned from the game over a bet between each other. In the grand scheme of things, it’s an inconsequential wager – it wasn’t stats based and both players bet on themselves to win. But it is irresponsible that the WNBA promoted it, especially in the wake of multiple NBA betting scandals and more and more stories of players being harassed by bettors.
If the video surfaced down the road, most people wouldn’t care. Just two basketball buddies making a friendly wager. But the WNBA cannot encourage it, let alone broadcast it for the world to see. Clearly someone realized the problem, but once something is on the internet, it’s there forever.
Image credit: SportsLogos.net
