The WNBA has taken down a social media video showing Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese talking about an apparent $400 wager tied to a game between their teams. The league later acknowledged that its attempt at humor had gone too far.
The conversation dated back to All-Star weekend, when Bueckers and Reese apparently agreed to put $400 on their matchup. The WNBA initially posted the clip on its own account, adding the caption “We did?” and a laughing emoji, before deleting it.
The league later told ReadWrite that players receive yearly instruction about its ban on betting on WNBA games.
“While the social media post was intended to be lighthearted, WNBA players are well aware of the league’s policies prohibiting betting on WNBA games and receive training every year reinforcing those policies. We recognized that the post missed the mark, removed it shortly after it was published, and addressed the matter internally.
“We will also use this as an opportunity to reemphasize with the players involved that conversations about wagering on WNBA games, even when intended as a joke, can have negative consequences.”
Bueckers and Reese exchange clashes with WNBA betting rules
An interviewer raised the subject with Bueckers, asking whether the agreement made with Reese during All-Star weekend remained in place.
“At All-Star weekend, you and Angel made a bet with each other on this game. Is that bet still on?” the interviewer asked.
“We did. This is how the rich stay rich,” Bueckers replied.
From there, the players talked through what the winner would receive. Reese said, “If y’all win—if y’all win, you get $400.”
“I get $400,” Bueckers replied.
Reese later said, “Bet. I’m standing on it.”
“I’m standing on it,” Bueckers responded.
WNBA rules bar players from wagering on league competition. After a hearing, the Commissioner can punish a player found to have directly or indirectly wagered, or attempted to wager, money or something valuable on a WNBA game’s outcome, score or another element.
Available sanctions range from fines and suspensions to dismissal or disqualification from further WNBA involvement.
No punishment for Bueckers or Reese was announced in the league’s statement. Instead, the WNBA said the situation had been handled internally and would prompt another reminder about its gambling policies.
The episode also comes as professional basketball faces wider scrutiny around gambling. In November 2025, the NBA requested documents and phone records from several teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers, following a federal illegal gambling investigation.
At least 10 Lakers employees had cooperated with authorities. The wider NBA gambling scrutiny has also included Jontay Porter’s lifetime ban after the league found he deliberately limited his participation for betting purposes, along with other federal and league investigations.
Featured image: John McClellan via Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
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