WNBA Players Union Calls Out NBA After Being Sidelined From Betting Memo
· Yahoo Sports
The biggest sports leagues in the country just joined forces over a problem that has become increasingly difficult to ignore. The unusual alliance included the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and MLS, along with their respective players’ unions, but one major basketball union was nowhere to be found.
That omission has now drawn a pointed response from the WNBA Players Association. Executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson says the absence is especially difficult to understand given what WNBA players have already experienced.
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WNBA Players Union Questions Why It Was Left Out
The joint memo sent Tuesday to state gaming regulators focused on betting-related harassment of athletes, coaches and their families. The WNBPA was not included, despite the union having already pushed the WNBA and league leadership to address abuse aimed at its players.
Jun 7, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; A Wilson official WNBA Evo NXT basketball with the 30th anniversary logo at the Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images“It is deeply disappointing that, given the very public and troubling incidents of betting-related harassment experienced by our members over the past several seasons,” Jackson said, “the NBA determined that WNBA players did not warrant inclusion in a joint position statement intended to address this very issue.”
WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson tells @FOS it’s “deeply disappointing” the NBA excluded the union from a memo to state gaming regulators on betting-related harassment.
The memo was sent Tuesday by the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and MLS and their respective unions.
— Colin Salao (@colincsalao) September 15, 2026
The frustration comes after WNBA players have spent months dealing with harassment that has gone beyond normal fan criticism. The league and union met in July to address racist, hateful and abusive messages directed at players, with both sides later saying they would work on stronger security resources and closer cooperation with outside organizations.
That makes the exclusion from Tuesday’s betting memo harder for the union to overlook. The WNBPA is not raising a hypothetical concern about something that could happen to its members; it is pointing to incidents it says players have already faced.
The NBA’s Connection To The WNBA Makes It More Noticeable
The omission also carries extra weight because of the relationship between the two leagues. The NBA owns 42% of the WNBA, while WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert reports to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
Aug 31, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Valkyries guard Kaitlyn Chen (2) holds a ball as the WNBA logo appears on the ball and shorts before the game against the Indiana Fever at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn ImagesMeanwhile, the other five leagues and their unions are now asking gambling regulators in 35 states and Washington, D.C., for stronger protections against bettors who threaten or harass athletes and their families.
For the WNBPA, that creates a basic question about representation. If betting-related harassment is serious enough for the biggest leagues in American sports to demand coordinated action, the union wants to know why WNBA players were not part of that effort.
The issue now sits alongside broader tensions between the WNBA and its players over safety and league leadership. With the union already pressing for stronger protection, being left out of a major statement on the same subject has given the WNBPA another reason to demand answers.
The message from Jackson is therefore bigger than one memo. The union wants the league to treat the safety of WNBA players as part of the same problem rather than a separate conversation.