RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from CBS Sports — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 4 sources
The WNBA released a statement Thursday saying that a social media post showing Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese joking about placing a wager on a game during All-Star Weekend "missed the mark." The post, which has since been deleted , was made prior to the Atlanta Dream's win over the Dallas Wings on Wednesday.
The league stated that the matter was handled internally with the social media department, and that Bueckers and Reese will be reminded of the "negative consequences" of such discussions. Neither player will face punishment, according to ESPN .
"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 league's statement said. "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 were both on Team Coop for the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game, which took place last weekend in Chicago. At All-Star practice on Friday, Bueckers and Reese were joking around on camera. At one point, Reese held up $400.
"This is how the rich get richer, Bueckers said, with Reese adding, "you gotta save this money."
Reese: "Imma see y'all on Wednesday. If y'all lose …"
Bueckers: "If we lose, then you get to keep it."
Ahead of Wednesday's game, the WNBA's social media team interviewed Bueckers on camera and reminded her about the wager, which the Wings star did not seem to remember.
"We did? At night?" Bueckers said when asked about the wager. After the social media person clarified that it was at practice, Bueckers responded, "Bet, I'm standing on that."
The league captioned the post "We did?" with a laughing emoji and added, "Paige Bueckers on the bet she made with Angel Reese at All-Star weekend on tonight's matchup."
Reese finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and four steals in one of her best performances of the season, while Bueckers put up 16 points, four rebounds and six assists, but turned the ball over five times and decided to pass on the final possession instead of taking a potential game-winning shot.
During her post-game press conference, Reese joked , "I'll be requesting my Apple Pay after this."
Betting scandals have been an issue for professional sports for over a century, but the problem has been exacerbated in recent years. A 2018 Supreme Court ruling struck down a 1992 law that had banned sports betting in most states, and since then, it has been legalized in 39 states and Washington, D.C.
Cell phones, apps and social media have made it easier than ever to bet -- including for players. College sports, the NFL , NHL , MLB and NBA have all had players suspended, or, in some cases, banned for life over betting in recent years. In addition, the rise in betting has led to a dramatic increase in abuse directed toward players, both in person and on social media.
Leagues have recently adopted new measures to try to crack down on avenues for nefarious activity. Last year, the MLB and some major sportsbooks announced a $200 limit on pitch-level microbets, and in the NBA, sportsbooks have removed "under" prop bets on players on 10-day or two-way contracts.
The WNBA is yet to have a major gambling scandal, but as the Bueckers-Reese incident shows, it is not cut off from that world. FanDuel and DraftKings are now official league partners; there are ads for sportsbooks in arenas and on TV, and Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud said earlier this month that it has become "normal" to receive angry messages from gamblers.
"I'm called a b----, I'm called a n-----, I'm called everything under the sun . I've been told that they hope that our plane crashes on the way home," Cloud told Front Office Sports .
Cloud has called for more support from WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert and NBA commissioner Adam Silver to address the issue.
"We got NBA players being followed out in public because of not hitting parlays," Cloud said. "I get that it's really great for our league. It's great for the business that is the NBA and the WNBA, and it helps expand. But at the end of the day, your job, your first priority is on the protection of the players, the protection of your investment into your players, and the safety surrounding the players.
"So for both Adam and Cathy, there still has to be dialogue around this as our leagues continue to expand and as we continue to navigate what this betting world is. 'Cause we want to be in it; it's great for our league, but also within it, we have to be protected as human beings when we take these jerseys off."
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.