A hooper should not have to worry about getting cussed out if they miss a layup, but that seems to be the problem plaguing the WNBA now. The league’s unprecedented growth in recent years has also brought with it the challenges that visibility poses, and 11-time WNBA All-Star Nneka Ogwumike is done staying quiet about it. Behind the high-stakes prediction markets, Ogwumike recently condemned a reality that players have been enduring all season: a barrage of online harassment and personal attacks from disgruntled bettors.
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Nneka Ogwumike, who is the President of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA), is keenly aware of this issue, which has led to players suffering emotional stress throughout this season. The former WNBA champion, who has recently retired from active play, offered an unsettling assessment of the issue in an Instagram video by Fortune Magazine.
“It’s not a safe place for athletes, I have to say. I do understand the business of things and being able to contribute to a growing league. But unfortunately, in what I like to call growing pains… players are definitely having a hard time dealing with the vitriol that comes with prediction markets as it relates to our performance.”
“There’s been a lot of safety issues and concerns that haven’t necessarily been publicly displayed,” she added. “But through the PA and through the WNBA, there are a lot of resources that are available to try and mitigate those things. But it doesn’t mean that it stops players from experiencing things that could potentially, and have potentially affected, their performance.”
This is not the first time that displeased sports bettors personally reaching out to WNBA players has been called out. Back in July, Las Vegas Aces star Chelsea Gray posted on her Instagram story about a user who sent her racist abuse following a loss to the Indiana Fever. The Instagram user’s bio said “sports betting,” per Front Office Sports, leading to the widespread belief that the user lost a bet before he hurled online abuse at Gray. The user was later fired by his place of employment.
July also saw Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams expose an irritated fan who sent her abuse over her Instagram DMs after her assists for the night made him lose money on a bet. Williams responded to the fan in a humorous voice note, but the underlying issue was much larger, with fans rushing to hurl abuse at players as soon as a parlay fell through.
Following this, Chicago Sky star Natasha Cloud called out the NBA and WNBA commissioners over the harassment that players faced due to fans losing bets.
“We got NBA players being followed out in public because of not hitting parlays,” Cloud said. “It’s great for the business that is the NBA and the WNBA, and it helps expand. But at the end of the day, your job, your first priority, is the protection of the players…So for both Adam and Cathy, there still has to be dialogue around this as our leagues continue to expand and as we continue to navigate what this betting world is.”
Being a part of the WNBPA, Nneka Ogwumike has dealt with player concerns throughout her tenure as president. The issue of player safety remains paramount in the league even today, especially with several new passionate fans watching today, and the WNBA and NBA have taken a new step to help fans better understand betting on the league.
WNBA, NBA Launch Responsible Gaming Campaign
Back in late September, the NBA, WNBA, and their respective player associations banded together to send the State Gambling Regulators a notice urging them to address the growing abuse that players were facing from unhappy bettors.
“We urge you to take steps that will better protect athletes, game participants, and their families from betting-related harassment and related threats…Members of our organizations are facing a marked increase in betting-related harassment and threats, typically from angry bettors who are on the wrong side of a particular wager. This conduct ranges from shouted harassment in an arena or on the street to violent threats conveyed online or on social media.”
The NBA and WNBA have now taken matters into their own hands to protect their biggest assets – the players. On October 13, 2026 (reported October 14), the two leagues put forward a release aiming to nip the problem in the bud before it can even reach the players. The leagues are launching a program to educate young bettors about the risks involved in betting on sports.
The leagues are collaborating with the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) to launch a new responsible gaming campaign for the 2026-27 season. The hope is that informed bettors will accept losses without blaming athletes. Colie Edison, the WNBA’s Chief Growth Officer, elaborated on the campaign in the above-mentioned release.
“Helping our fans make informed decisions is central to this effort. By bringing this campaign to WNBA audiences, we can reach more fans with practical guidance on understanding financial risk, setting limits, and recognizing when and where to find support.”
Players will certainly hope that this endeavor by the leagues makes an active difference in the way fans think about them. Voices like Gray, Thomas, Cloud, and now Nneka Ogwumike allow for these difficult conversations to occur, opening up space for dialogue that could bring real change to how fans treat players.