Shaquille O'Neal said the $400 wager between Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers was a bet between friends. Neither player was disciplined by the league.
Shaquille O'Neal said the $400 wager between Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers amounted to a bet between friends and did not rise to the level of point shaving.
"That's what we call a 'homeboy bet,'" O'Neal told Fox News Digital in an interview published Thursday.
O'Neal said that if the exchange qualified as gambling at all, it would land somewhere near the misdemeanor level, and that the criticism of the two players should stop.
The video went up on the WNBA account on X on July 29, hours before Atlanta played Dallas, and came down shortly after. It was recorded the previous weekend at All-Star Weekend in Chicago, where a shooting competition run by Aces coach Becky Hammon at a Team Coop practice paid out $100 bills. Reese walked away from that session with $400. On the clip, Reese held the cash and reminded Bueckers of the bet. Bueckers said she was standing on it. The caption on the post referred to the bet directly.
A league spokesperson said the next day that the post was intended to be lighthearted, that it had "missed the mark," and that the matter had been handled internally. The spokesperson said players receive training on the league's gambling policies every year.
Neither player was disciplined. A league source told ESPN that no punishment was coming.
Article XIV, Section 5(c) of the collective bargaining agreement gives the commissioner sole discretion to fine, suspend, dismiss, or disqualify a player found after a hearing to have wagered, offered to wager, or attempted to wager money or anything of value on the outcome, score, or any other aspect of a WNBA game. Players ratified the agreement on March 23. The Board of Governors ratified it the following day. The long-form document was signed on May 22.
The deal runs seven years, through 2032, with an opt-out after the sixth year. It set the 2026 salary cap at $7 million, up from roughly $1.5 million last season. Maximum salaries start at $1.4 million this year. The league projected an average salary of $583,000 for 2026 and minimums ranging from $270,000 to $300,000 based on years of service.
Atlanta erased a 15-point deficit to beat Dallas 82-81 that night. Reese finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals on 9-of-18 shooting. Bueckers had 16 points and 6 assists. Reese said in her postgame availability that she would be requesting her Apple Pay.
In 29 games with Atlanta, Reese is averaging a career-high 16.0 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. She recorded her league-leading 21st double-double on Wednesday. Atlanta acquired her from Chicago on April 6 for first-round picks in 2027 and 2028 and sent a 2028 second-round pick swap the other way. Reese led the league in rebounding in each of her first two seasons and was named an All-Star in each of her three.
Through 28 games, Bueckers has averaged 20.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 5.9 assists, shooting 50.9% from the field and 38.6% from 3-point range. She was the first overall pick in the 2025 draft and won Rookie of the Year.
Atlanta is 19-11 and tied atop the Eastern Conference. Dallas is 19-12 and fourth in the West. Atlanta lost to Las Vegas 109-87 on Monday and beat Phoenix 96-82 on Wednesday. Dallas has lost twice to Washington in the past week, most recently 96-92 on Wednesday.
Atlanta plays at Washington on Friday. Dallas hosts Golden State on Friday night.
