WNBA deletes ‘lighthearted’ video that would actually get players in other leagues banned for life

The WNBA posted a video on its social media accounts earlier this week, and it may be one of the worst decisions the league has ever made.The league, already shrouded in controversy over athlete statements and abuse of star Caitlin Clark, seemingly can’t afford to keep taking losses. Another hiccup on Wednesday, however, showed once again that the WNBA is not learning its lesson.’We recognized that the post missed the mark.’Before a game between the Atlanta Dream and Dallas Wings, the WNBA posted a video that almost any sports fan would immediately recognize as inappropriate. The video shows two of the league’s more popular players betting on the outcome a game.Dream forward Angel Reese and Wings guard Paige Bueckers are featured in a self-shot video — plastered across WNBA accounts — in which Reese is holding cash, joking with Bueckers about betting on their game.”Imma see you next week on Wednesday. … I know y’all gonna lose, but if y’all lose … if y’all win, you get the $400,” Reese films herself saying to Bueckers.Reese later explains that if her team wins, “You owe me $400.”The video is framed as being fun and cute, with Bueckers being asked on the night of the game if she remembers her bet with Reese, suggesting that there was plenty of thought behind the editing.Once fans started calling out the content, the WNBA quickly deleted the video and issued an apology.RELATED: WNBA All-Star weekend proved Caitlin Clark only player fit to be face of the league “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 to the New York Times. The league continued, “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 re-emphasize with the players involved that conversations about wagering on WNBA games, even when intended as a joke, can have negative consequences,” the WNBA added.The WNBA’s 2026 collective bargaining agreement explicitly states that wagering “money or anything of value on the outcome” of any WNBA game can result in a “fine, suspension, and/or dismissal and disqualification from any further association with the WNBA.”Rules for the NBA, the parent company of the WNBA, are similar, stating that any player who wagers is subject to “a fine, suspension, expulsion, and/or perpetual disqualification.”The NBA does enforce its rules, and shocking gambling scandals have rocked the league recently, resulting in court cases and lifetime bans. NBA champions Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones were arrested last October after being allegedly tied to a mafia-backed gambling ring,Former Miami Heat player Terry Rozier was arrested this year on bribery and conspiracy charges related to gambling, while Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter was banned for life over gambling in 2024.Perhaps the most famous example of a professional athlete getting banned from his sport for betting on himself is Major League Baseball player Pete Rose in the late 1980s.RELATED: How the WNBA’s hottest star became the left’s newest headache Alexa Alejandro/FIBA/Getty Images The WNBA’s egregious error comes at a bad time for the league. In addition to issues with the league’s social media team and players, even owners are under the spotlight for the wrong reasons.Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton was suspended for five games for confronting and cursing at teen girls who were supporting Indiana Fever player Sophie Cunningham after she said men shouldn’t be allowed in women’s sports.Women’s sports activist Jennifer Sey shared her thoughts on the Keaton controversy with Blaze News.”Is five games enough?” asked Sey. “Plenty of people are saying no. They’re calling for her removal from ownership, a far longer ban.”Sey called the suspension a sign of a cultural shift, adding that “protecting teenage girls from grown adults who treat basic reality as a moral offense should not be controversial.”Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!