No discipline is under consideration for Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers and Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese discussing a friendly wager or side bet at the All-Star Game.
Reese appears in the video shot during the team’s All-Star Game practice in Chicago, holding $400 in her hand, as she states to Bueckers “If y’all lose,” Reese said.
Bueckers interrupts and says, “I get to have that.”
And Reese replies, “If y’all win, you get your 400.”
Bueckers, appearing to confirm the wager, says “Bet. I’m standing on it.”
ESPN reported the league reviewed the social media post of the playful exchange that was shared on the league’s own account Wednesday before the Wings faced the Dream.
WNBA players and coaches are prohibited from betting on any WNBA game under terms of the collective bargaining agreement.
In a statement to ESPN, the league said it took steps to address the matter “internally” and felt the exchange was in jest.
“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,” a WNBA spokesperson said in a statement. “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.”
–Field Level Media
