The WNBA found itself inside a scandal of its own making this week. On Wednesday night, the official social media account for the league posted a video in which Paige Bueckers appeared to suggest she and Angel Reese placed a $400 personal bet on the outcome of the night's game between the Dallas Wings and Atlanta Dream. Per the WNBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), players are explicitly forbidden from placing bets on their own games, which made the decision to post the video pretty... weird.
The WNBA deleted the video pretty quickly, and by the next day had issued a statement that noted Bueckers and Reese would not be disciplined for the infraction. The statement noted that all players in the league are "well aware" of the policies in place that forbid betting, and the league "addressed the matter internally." The league also said players would be spoken to about joking about placing bets.
For the curious, the CBA explains, "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."
No one is arguing that Bueckers or Reese should be disciplined in any way, but the conversation about even a theoretical bet is an important one to have. After all, sports betting has become a huge topic at all levels of play, and it's something that officials are monitoring at the collegiate level as well. On top of that, the NBA has experienced plenty of betting scandals—and that's something everyone who plays a professional sport should keep in mind before making jokes like this.
Last year, several people, including Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and former NBA player and coach Damon Jones, were indicted as part of an investigation into illegal sports betting. The investigation included claims that bets were placed after people received insider information from coaches and players.
That's not what Bueckers and Reese did by any stretch of the imagination, and most people can probably agree that the idea of two players having a little fun between themselves isn't a big deal. But the entire episode is a sharp reminder that the WNBA's growth comes with new expectations, and that applies to the players, the leadership, and even, it appears, the social media teams.
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