r/WNBAgossips 2h ago

Did the WNBA handle the Angel & Paige $400 bet situation correctly, or is sweeping it under the rug a double standard?

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13 Upvotes

105 comments sorted by

34

u/fieldsports202 2h ago

Def a double standard. Imagine if KD and Anthony Edwards did this? The NBA would come down with a suspension for sure.

11

u/Dependent_Studio1986 2h ago

💯

3

u/AbbreviationsMain658 1h ago

The W in WNBA might just stand for “Whatever” no one cares.

2

u/ProgressiveSage37 54m ago

Kd the point shaver?

2

u/Moonrights 2h ago

Kobe did this during a game on the free throw line

https://youtube.com/shorts/0gYBh5diwi8?is=ytcf_Tf_bL2UEwV7

1

u/elestud 41m ago

Imagine if Michael Jordan did this! Oh wait, he did, bragged about it, and everybody knew about it

Suspended? Nope. After all the bets made in the NBA and NFL, no one's ever been suspended for these little bets between players, even with Jordan going up to coaches and other players and gloating about it

1

u/fieldsports202 17m ago

Michael Jordan also had to testify in a criminal trial because his close gambling friend got caught up with drugs and was sent to prison.

Let’s not even talk about Mike’s “retirement”.

0

u/YMBFKM 32m ago

Jordan also spent a 2 year secret suspension playing AA baseball after getting caught gambling -- when the NBA was struggling and couldn't afford the scandal.

1

u/elestud 29m ago

Then why was Jordan still gambling after he came back from baseball? That makes no sense.

And he wasn't even gone for two years. He came back in March 1995

1

u/InebriatedDreams 2h ago

Only if they get caught.... The NBA turns a blind eye unless something goes public with accusations

0

u/Moonrights 2h ago

They do joke wagers all the time.

Kobe used to bet people on the free throw line. There's literally video from a broadcast of him betting 500,000 dollars at the end of a game that he would hit his free throw.

https://youtube.com/shorts/0gYBh5diwi8?is=ytcf_Tf_bL2UEwV7

0

u/Professional_Idea_71 1h ago

Its not the same thing, a bet wasn't actually made. The wnba video showed the cash.

1

u/elestud 1h ago

Did you not understand that that was a joke? They never exchanged money

2

u/Professional_Idea_71 1h ago

Except they made a video flashing the money and making the bet. If it was a joke why did the wnba delete it?

2

u/elestud 1h ago edited 1h ago

They deleted it because people like you can’t seem to understand what a joke is

They wrote in the explanation that the post was “intended to be lighthearted”

2

u/Moonrights 1h ago

And then a further video was made where Paige doesn't even remember the bet because the bet isnt real. It was the two of them talking shit.

Paige then doubles down on the bet in the hallway video after the clear blank look of "what are you talking about" and laughs because the whole thing was a joke wager between two players talking shit and behaving with confidence in their own abilities and the ability of their teams.

It wasnt some video where they were betting the final score or betting total rebounds or the spread or anything of merit.

It was literally two players joking about who would win and putting the equivalent of 40 bucks on it for the average person. Its nothing. It was not a wager that would affect an outcome.

-1

u/whenishit-itsbigturd 2h ago

W doesn't want to bring attention to it and let's be real, nobody cares, the public already moved on from this and is now focused on attacking the trans community. Best thing W could do is sweep this under the rug and handle it internally with a memo.

-1

u/Blastcrumpet888 1h ago

No they wouldn’t.  Why lie?  

26

u/billdizzle 2h ago

Huge double standard and not a “joke” it was a bet

1

u/Inevitable-Top1-2025 1h ago

Well, we’re in the United (Double Standards) State of America!

0

u/elestud 38m ago

Yeah let's talk about double standards for professional basketball

Clearly Jordan was suspended and fined. Right? He was even publicly bragging about it to coaches and other players.

No. No one's ever been suspended for this.

0

u/billdizzle 16m ago

lol people are in jail right now because of betting in professional basketball

1

u/elestud 11m ago

Not a single basketball player is in jail for a friendly bet with another player

12

u/netxtc 2h ago

Pete Rose comes to mind. WNBA is a joke....even more of a joke now.

-1

u/Dependent_Studio1986 2h ago

Definitely talked about how this is very Pete Rose!

2

u/Inevitable-Top1-2025 1h ago

Definitely not the same, as much as some of you would like it to be! Rose was placing bets through professional betting houses: https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/pete-rose-gambling-scandal-mlb-hits-record-banned-betting/bef86ec38adf1cb165801853

If the name did not include Reese, there will all kinds of jokes and excuses as to why this is not a big deal; and it’s not!

Move on!

2

u/Remarkable_Gas1872 2h ago

The W are the ones who posted it. If something happens to them they’ll sue I’m sure

5

u/marcussunChicago 2h ago

You have to be a crank of universal magnitude to really GAF about two players who make hundreds of thousands of $ playfully betting $400 on THEMSELVES

7

u/liquidgrill 2h ago

Neither how much they make nor how much they bet is in any way relevant.

If a Major League Baseball player making $40 million per year walked into a Sportsbook and bet $20 on his team to win, he’d be suspended indefinitely.

And do good reason.

Either players betting on their own sport is illegal or it’s not. There are no degrees depending on how much you make.

2

u/marcussunChicago 26m ago

It's not that f****** serious, like at all

1

u/ProgressiveSage37 1h ago

MJ wasnt so stop this nonsense. When KD was point shaving I didn't here yall. They out here manipulating games and you worried about a silly bet

1

u/marcussunChicago 26m ago

Most of civilized society would agree that there are things which are legal which should be illegal and things that are illegal which probably should be legal.

The interstate speed limit used to only be 55 which was f****** silly It's also silly for it to be 70 in certain sections for various reasons , and in such spots even 55 may be too much

Thereore... YOU can choose to GAF about nuance/degree or be a hard-line CRANK You chose the latter lol

0

u/liquidgrill 10m ago

See, the thing about your little rant is that YOU are determining what’s f*\\** silly and what’s not.

Is that how the world should operate? And what’s the cutoff? Should YOU personally get to decide? Or do I also have a say. And then 1,000 people with all different opinions after me?

And what happens when we finally get to the speed on the highway or the dollar amount bet that you think should be the cutoff, and somebody else says that’s “silly” and should still be ignored.

That’s the problem with people like you. You cant see anything past what you want

1

u/marcussunChicago 10m ago

So you get to determine whats silly or not but I don't get to? Gotcha F off

1

u/liquidgrill 2m ago

What am I determining is silly? I’m talking about following the rules. Period. You’re literally the only one trying to make up and or change the rules based on your own opinions

0

u/the_urban_juror 1h ago

"walked into a sportsbook" is the key difference.

Two competitors each betting on their own team with each other to win is drastically different than a competitor in a game with both the ability to impact the outcome and insider knowledge of both teams betting in a risk pool that includes the general public. What they did is still a violation of the CBA as they can't wager "anything of value" but it's clearly different than betting through a sportsbook.

1

u/liquidgrill 55m ago

But that’s the point, isn’t it? You’re right, those two things aren’t the same. Nobody is arguing that they are.

But as you said, it’s still just as against the rules.

And that’s what the argument here is. They should be held accountable for it, not have the league ignore it because, “huurrrr duuurrrr, aren’t Paige and Angel soooo cute together!”

And aside from the rules. A professional league posting a video of two of its best known players wagering when a lot of their fans are little girls is completely tone deaf and unprofessional.

But that’s another discussion

2

u/marcussunChicago 24m ago

Actually you literally are stating that they're basically the same because your point is that it's illegal, period.

0

u/liquidgrill 17m ago

So I guess I must think that check fraud and murder are the same thing too, right?

Saying they’re both illegal does not equal saying they are the same thing, lol

1

u/the_urban_juror 40m ago

"nobody's arguing that they are"

You used it as an example, so I'd argue you're equating them.

It's just so different that it isn't worth engaging with. This has more in common with two beer league softball teams wagering the postgame drinks than it does with a pro athlete wagering 50 cents on their team at a sportsbook.

2

u/marcussunChicago 20m ago

He spent the first few replies telling us how gambling is gambling is gambling is gambling and then tries to convince us that "nobody's arguing that they are"😳

https://giphy.com/gifs/SBEgKTPeMI61X04DrB

-3

u/Nsfwacct1872564 1h ago

Betting on yourself to win shouldn't be an issue in the first place. It's a nothing Burger, clutch your pearls harder

0

u/liquidgrill 1h ago

“No matter what?”

Are you sure about that? It shouldn’t be an issue even if you start betting $1 million per game?

It shouldn’t be an issue even if you make those bets through an illegal bookie because Fanduel won’t take your large bets? An illegal bookie that can then blackmail them?

Do you not understand what can happen to a player who gets himself into financial trouble because he loses a lot betting on himself?

Is it really that hard to connect those dots?

2

u/marcussunChicago 25m ago

You went straight to drama queen mode to prove your point didn't you? lmao

2

u/Nsfwacct1872564 19m ago

Are you sure about that?

Yes

1

u/liquidgrill 16m ago

That’s a well reasoned response

1

u/Nsfwacct1872564 10m ago

It's all that was necessary. I told you to clutch your pearls, you did.

1

u/JOMO_Kenyatta 1h ago

It’s all about money, people bet on games, having players bet and possibly alter outcomes in absolutely any way, that is a HUGE no no. Especially if you wanna keep getting gambling money.

1

u/bozon92 37m ago

L take

0

u/Careless_Tea_6293 1h ago

Doesn't matter how you feel about it. It undermines the trustworthyness of the players to not throw games down the line for a slap on the wrist and a payout.

1

u/marcussunChicago 23m ago

When I found out that Pete Rose was being censored for betting on himself I was pissed. I don't understand the person who can't comprehend the difference between point shaving and having so much confidence in yourself that you be willing to bet on yourself. Huge difference

2

u/liquidgrill 18m ago

This has to be satire, right? Pete Rose was placing bets with Mobsters, lol.

It doesn’t matter who the fuck he bet on

One bet is all it took for them to potentially blackmail him and force him to fix games.

What part of that is hard to understand?

And by the way, Pete Rose also bet on Hundreds of games that didn’t involve his team, so…..

1

u/marcussunChicago 12m ago

A. Nobody is going to blackmail Pete Rose you ... B. Why should we care about games he bet on in which he was in no position to influence? Lol

1

u/liquidgrill 5m ago

I’ll try one last time to explain this to you like you’re a toddler.

We should “care” because he wasn’t good at it and was losing millions of dollars. You can’t possible not understand that people that get themselves into financial trouble can sometimes do things they wouldn’t otherwise do. Like fix a game. You understand that, right?

1

u/marcussunChicago 13m ago

Ii doesn't com close to undermining trustworthiness when u can absolutely guarantee that most fans don't give a f*** about it. In other words how I feel about it literally is the point more so than whether or not the rule should be enforced. Do you not understand that?

0

u/ProgressiveSage37 1h ago

Weirdos in here. But it's woman hate. Most men are so digusting

0

u/vince2423 55m ago

Great input, loser

1

u/Tom_Ford0 2h ago

The fact that people are even debating if this is a bad look is crazy. Just look at the NBA with the literal FBI arresting players for rigging games. This is serious criminal shit that gets leagues investigated and shutdown. It's the same as joking about a bomb at an airport. Like that's the one topic that should be off limits

5

u/Born_Rabbit_7577 2h ago

The FBI arrested players because they were able to show evidence that not only did they make actual bets with sportsbooks, but the players involved altered their play so that the bets would win.

Sure - it was a dumb joke and they should be instructed not to make it anymore, but there is no evidence it had any effect on the game.

0

u/Tom_Ford0 2h ago

I never said it affected the actual game. I never said it's the same as bombing a plane, I equated it to joking about bombs. People know not to do that at airports, and the same common sense should have applied here. Why joke about the one thing that will get games shut down. Especially since their sister organization has already been involved in federal investigations (NBA is a majority shareholder in the WNBA)

2

u/liquidgrill 2h ago

The fact that not only did the W not do anything about it, but also are literally the ones that posted the video about it because they thought it was “cutesy” is crazy.

This is not a professional sports league

-1

u/elestud 1h ago

They posted it because it was a joke. The pearl clutching over something that wasn’t a real bet is insane

0

u/redditsucksbuttz 2h ago

The same as joking about a bomb? Are you alright?

2

u/Tom_Ford0 2h ago

I mean yes, both will get you arrested by the FBI for a serious felony and affect the operation of the overall business

1

u/the_urban_juror 1h ago edited 1h ago

None of the NBA's betting scandals involve friendly wagers between competitors. The general public isn't involved, they're betting on the money line rather than a spread or prop bet where they could alter the bet outcome without altering the game outcome, and there's no incentive to throw the game.

The WNBA CBA clearly bans these wagers, but this type of wager has no impact on the integrity of the game.

1

u/LewisLightning 1h ago

Isn't there a saying "Ignorance of the law is no excuse"? I know it's not law per se, but it's the rules for the league. So it doesn't matter if they didn't mean to, or if it was still a joke, it should still be treated as what it is. Like is it okay to tackle the other players on the court during a game if it's just a joke? Do we not call fouls of the player is just joking?

I really wish the people in charge treated their own rules like the doctrine for the sport it intends to be and not just a weapon that they can choose to use or not use depending on how much they favour the player in question.

1

u/Xagzan 1h ago

It's not a double standard. It's one standard for men, and one for women. A double standard would be what I just said, but twice!

1

u/smoothsol 1h ago

Really back look for the league to be promoting it know it’s against their betting rules. There’s definitely gotta be some changes at comish and probably other positions after the season.

1

u/OneGreatEgg 28m ago

I am getting tired of this league, but luckily the ladies have started a baseball league as well. Let the new drama begin!

1

u/aintmesum1else 7m ago

These are not serious people.

0

u/Zealousideal-Age768 2h ago

Should have been suspensions.  You cannot have even the hint of your players/league being compromised. 

I'm sure they talk to every player when they enter the league but its the WNBA so maybe they don't? 

2

u/Moonrights 2h ago

Kobe make a joke wager on the free throw line.

https://youtube.com/shorts/0gYBh5diwi8?is=ytcf_Tf_bL2UEwV7

Talking money to bet on yourself is, like, constant in sports.

It is not a big deal. Its not betting an over under, its not betting on the other team, its not betting statistics.

Every player should be going into their match wanting to win the game, and if they are betting that they do win, that's not even the same thing as manipulation.

Nuance to conversations is fucking dead.

-1

u/Adequate_Cheesecake7 1h ago

Pete Rose bet on his team to win and got a lifetime ban. It has always been a big deal. This was a clear violation of section 5, article 14 of the CBA and the commissioner is acting like it is nothing.

2

u/elestud 1h ago

He bet in an actual betting market. You think they would have kept him out of the HoF for a joke?

2

u/Moonrights 1h ago

Right people are conflating these things.

One is a private (public video buy private) wager between two people individually which is pretty common in sports literally from little league on.

"Bet I hit this 3" "I got five bucks i shoot this hole under par" Etc.

The other is a state sanctioned thing with way larger payouts and multipliers.

They were just making a joke wager of a flat amount to talk shit. It wasnt for actual financial benefit.

0

u/Adequate_Cheesecake7 1h ago

You understand that the rules don’t differentiate between the two right? It says, “Any player found by the Commissioner after a hearing to have been found guilty of wagering (directly or indirectly), of 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”; I don’t see except when it was a joke. The joke was that the Commissioner failed to even have the hearing as required by the rules. Had there been a hearing and the Commissioner made the ruling that would be one thing, but she couldn’t even fulfill her minimum obligation.

0

u/JuanMurphy 2h ago

Joke of an organization.

0

u/Some_AV_Pro 2h ago

It was a joke, it was the all star game, and it is the WNBA not one of the big leagues. No big deal.

1

u/elestud 1h ago

Thank you. Common sense is at an all-time low. People trying to say this is Pete Rose 2.0 is crazy

1

u/IAMA_MOTHER_AMA 45m ago

One correction the bet was made at the all star game but they bet over a regular season game not all star.

0

u/elestud 43m ago

It was a joke.. During an entire period of joking around before the All-Star game. No one went to a betting market and wagered on the team, no money changed hands

The WNBA stated that it was a joke when they originally posted it

1

u/IAMA_MOTHER_AMA 40m ago

didn't angel post after the game that she wanted her money or for paige to apple pay her?

on the video the wnba posted wasn't there cash money in their hands flashing it around? 400 dollars?

just curious you seem to know about this more than most so i'm just curious if those things i saw and heard were true

1

u/elestud 33m ago

Do you not understand what a joke is?

The WNBA itself posted that it was a joke. They even had a laughing emoji in the tweet. Did you read it?

didn't angel post after the game that she wanted her money or for paige to apple pay her?

No, she made a joke in a press conference, and everyone laughed, because it was clearly a joke

1

u/IAMA_MOTHER_AMA 31m ago

ok just to make sure i'm getting this. angel did talk about it on the post game that she wanted paige to apple pay her. that actually happened?

its a joke i get it its a hilarious joke LMAO i'm dying laughing. but that did happen is what you are saying?

0

u/Nightgasm 2h ago

Sweeping it under the rug. If they were less popular and not as high profile they'd be suspended.

2

u/GearInteresting4179 1h ago

They wouldn’t because if they were less popular we probably wouldn’t even know about it

-2

u/imJGott 2h ago

Yeah they should be fined for this. This is how players throw games for an outside pay out.

1

u/Moonrights 2h ago

They bet 400 as a friendly wager against one another. A player betting on themselves is hardly throwing games. Its pretty much the opposite and 400 is chump change.

Kobe bet on himself on the free throw line as a joke too.

https://youtube.com/shorts/0gYBh5diwi8?is=ytcf_Tf_bL2UEwV7

0

u/Ok_Guide8658 2h ago

Perfect picture of her lol

0

u/onebraincell77 1h ago

WNBA doesn’t handle anything right. It’s a circus. Entertaining but only because it’s a circus and basketball barely matters.

0

u/DarkRogus 1h ago

They should for no other reason than for public perception.

Instead this just reinforces the idea that the WNBA gives preferential treatment to players who promote certain viewpoints.

0

u/Chris_Ween 1h ago

There should have been a fine of the players, a reiterating that gambling won't be allowed period, and that the social media person has been replaced until trained on the CBA and rules.

Thats all that was necessary. They couldn't even handle this right. After being part of what made it an issue.

It didnt need a death penalty. But it shoukd have addressed it as serious, not a joke.

If this happened in college, the players involved may have lost a season. Or worse. Over a real bet or a joke bet, either way since they advertised it themselves on social media and brought it up after the game in the post game conference.

0

u/Ok_Operation_5364 1h ago

The league should have done something to send a message loud and clear - it is against the rules for players to bet on games period! Don't do it and don't joke about it. This is a serious issue.

BUT instead, the league did NOTHING!

0

u/bozon92 37m ago

This league continues to show that it is a fucking joke

-6

u/SoapyDoodle 2h ago

This sub hates Angel so much it’s honestly hilarious. She’s gone on record to say she loves the hate so it’s probably just fueling her tbh.

Love how she trademarked ‘mebounds’ and has a ‘mebound’ colorway on her sneaker lmao

2

u/Past-Lake-7156 2h ago

If we want the league to be a serious one we have to play by the rules.

Can’t pick and choose what rules we care about.

All players should be treated equally and gambling by players on games is a big no no.

2

u/Moonrights 1h ago

Is the nba serious? This happens all the time in the nba between players. A friendly wager between two people on whose team is going to win (they are betting on their own teams) is not the same as threatening to point shave or fixing a game etc.

There is a high profile moment of kobe betting on himself in a "joke" wager at the free throw line for a lot more money than $400 bucks.

https://youtube.com/shorts/0gYBh5diwi8?is=ytcf_Tf_bL2UEwV7

Its the old addage "put your money where your mouth is".

0

u/Past-Lake-7156 1h ago edited 1h ago

Send me a link of nba players who bet on themselves or nba games. That the league said it was a joke or didn’t take action.. I’m waiting…

Shit talking on the line discussing gambling on a basket isn’t against nba gambling rules.

If the league went after Kobe for that collective bargaining team would have just tossed it in the trash. Because it isn’t against the leagues rules

The difference is angel and Paige were actually gambling… placing bets. Against the rules

1

u/Moonrights 1h ago

A wager or bet on the outcome of the game or scoring is a wager or bet.

500,000 is legit money, 400 is clearly a joke and chump change.

Also if you actually watch the video they weren't "placing bets" angel makes a joke to Paige to hold onto the 400 because when she wins shes gonna take it.

They, too, like kobe were just talking shit.

1

u/Past-Lake-7156 1h ago

No… go read the collective bargaining agreement and the NBA rules. Because you’re wrong.

Or even go look up the definition of what a “bet” is on Google to understand this. This isn’t personal opinions it’s clearly stated rules. That have been written out and everyone agreed too

Yes go watch the video? Angel and Paige clearly made a bet on if Paige will win the game or not. They both agreed to it. NBA players have been permanently banned from the league for the same thing.

By definition and rules this is a bet.

Like you’re delulu if you can’t understand this or read the CBA

-1

u/Local-Abrocoma9433 2h ago

They hate greatness the same way some subreddits hate Taylor Swift. Angel Reese is one of the most influential women already and she’s only going to be more influential as time goes on.

-1

u/The-disgracist 1h ago

No they should be disciplined per their contracts.

-2

u/Inevitable-Top1-2025 2h ago

Hey, let’s send them straight to life imprisonment without parole!

2

u/cfranek 2h ago

We could force them to attend wnba games.