Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese Avoid Punishment After WNBA Betting Video

^{Angel Reese (#5) of the Atlanta Dream during a game against the Dallas Wings. Reese and Wings guard Paige Bueckers were later at the center of a deleted league social media video referencing a friendly bet on one of their games. (Photo:  Sipa USA / Alamy Live News)}

WNBA stars Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers won’t be punished after the league’s social media accounts posted a video showing the two making a wager on Wednesday night’s game between Reese’s Atlanta Dream and Bueckers’ Dallas Wings.

The video, which the WNBA quickly deleted after fans pointed out that it showed two players gambling on their own upcoming game, appears to show the two making a friendly $400 bet on which team will win the Wednesday night encounter. If the players were to make that bet, it would violate the league's collective bargaining agreement and could open the door to possible discipline.

Reese Asks to be Paid after Dream Win

The video captures someone offscreen asking Bueckers about a bet she made with Reese during the WNBA’s All-Star Weekend days earlier. It then cuts to a conversation between the two players during an All-Star practice, where Reese is holding $400. 

Reese laid out the terms while holding the cash, and Bueckers confirmed the bet. Later in the clip, Bueckers says, "And if we lose then you get to keep [that]," to which Reese replies, "No, you owe me 400."

The Dream would go on to win 82-81, with Reese scoring 22 points in the winning effort while Bueckers tallied 16 points for the Wings. When Reese was asked questions about the bet after the game, she told reporters, “I’ll be requesting my Apple Pay after this." She also later posted a hashtag referencing "cuatrocientos" (400 in Spanish) on social media.

But while the wager may have been friendly and even just a joke between the two players, the league ended up having to take the situation seriously. On Thursday, the WNBA addressed the issue.

“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,” the WNBA said in a statement. “We recognized that the post missed the mark, removed it shortly after it was published, and addressed the matter internally.”

The league says it will use the situation as an opportunity to “reemphasize with the players involved” that even discussing or joking about wagering on WNBA games can have negative consequences.

No Harm, No Foul, According to WNBA

Under the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement (specifically Article XIV, Section 5c), wagering on the league is strictly prohibited for players, as is the case in most sports organizations. Players can face punishment from the WNBA commissioner for policy violations, ranging from fines to outright bans from the league.

Any punishment would be at the sole discretion of WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. Certainly, even a friendly bet between two players wouldn’t warrant the same level of response as allegations of fixing pitches or providing inside information on prop bets. But with the league treating the conversation as a joke rather than a legitimate wager, Reese and Bueckers won’t face any punishment at all.

Fans, of course, can continue to bet on sports with the WNBA, which has long been a popular option for basketball bettors during the summer months. The Wings (18-10) and Dream (17-10) are both considered second-tier contenders for the WNBA title, with DraftKings listing Dallas at +2200 and Atlanta at +1000 to win a championship this year. The Minnesota Lynx (+110) are the clear favorites to win this year’s title.