WNBA Deletes Its Own Post Showing Paige Bueckers & Angel Reese Making Illegal Bet On Their Game

The WNBA found itself in an awkward spot Wednesday night after posting — and then swiftly deleting — a social media video that showed two of its biggest stars discussing a personal wager on the outcome of their own game.

The clip featured Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers and Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese, who had agreed during All-Star Weekend in Chicago to a friendly $400 bet over which of their teams would win Wednesday’s matchup.

The league’s own social media team filmed the moment for what was meant to be a fun, lighthearted post: footage of the WNBA’s social media manager reminding Bueckers about the bet, spliced with clips of Reese and Bueckers making the deal, cash visibly in hand. The caption read simply, “We did?” with a laughing emoji, framing it as a cute behind-the-scenes moment between two stars.

The problem: player wagering of any kind is explicitly prohibited under the league’s new collective bargaining agreement. The CBA’s player conduct and discipline provisions state that any player found guilty of wagering, directly or indirectly, on the outcome of a WNBA game may face discipline at the commissioner’s discretion, ranging from a fine to suspension to outright disqualification from the league.

In effect, the WNBA had filmed, captioned and published proof of its own players violating league rules — and seemingly didn’t realize it until the post was already live.

The league deleted the video shortly after posting it, but not before it had been screenshotted and widely recirculated across social media. The gaffe drew swift mockery online, with fans questioning how a post touting a rules violation ever made it past internal review and joking that no one on the WNBA’s communications staff appeared to know the league’s own CBA. Commentary largely treated it as an unforced, self-inflicted error rather than a genuine gambling scandal, given the modest, informal nature of the bet between two competitors.

Whether the league pursues any formal discipline against Bueckers or Reese remains to be seen, though observers widely expect any consequences, if they come at all, to be minimal. The larger fallout may simply be another headache for a league office already facing scrutiny over its social media judgment and public messaging.

On the court, Wednesday’s game lived up to the hype regardless of the bet: the Dream edged the Wings 82-81 on a game-winning shot from Allisha Gray, with Reese finishing with 22 points in the win.

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Article by USports Editors