TORONTO — The general rule about professional basketball players betting on sports is pretty easy to understand.
“I think it’s simple: stay away from basketball stuff,” Toronto Raptors Before Jordan Nwora said before his team lost 96-88 to the Brooklyn nets Monday evening. “And other than that, you’re good.” This is what we learned from it. It’s been the same since university.
Just before Monday’s game, ESPN reported on the Raptors center Jontay Porter was far from the team as he was under investigation into gambling by the league regarding two games Porter left early. Porter’s prop bets generated the most money both nights, according to the DraftKings Sportsbook Insights, published daily and distributed to members of the media, Athleticism confirmed. Porter’s 3-point over/under was set at 0.5 for both games, and he didn’t attempt a 3 in either game before leaving early – once for an aggravating injury to his the eye and once for an illness, according to information from the team. game-related injury updates
Porter was not with the team for the Raptors’ game in Washington on Saturday or Monday in Toronto.
You don’t need to understand the intricacies of the report to understand that an investigation like this was inevitable as provinces and states continue to legalize different forms of sports gambling. This is something that players have been well aware of for years.
“It’s crazy. It’s just part of our sport now. It’s something that’s on a weird line right now,” the Raptors swingman said. Ochai Agbaji said. “I feel like sports betting has always been around, but it hasn’t been that popular since…ever, so it’s getting more and more popular and obviously you’re going to have stuff like that. And it’s unfortunate, but things like this are going to happen, especially when things are so close – like sports betting, gambling, and sports itself. …You see it everywhere.
Raptors swingman Garrett Temple, vice president of the National Basketball Players Association, was quick to say that nothing had been proven and that Porter was still a member of the Raptors and the players association and would be supported as such . He pointed out that the NBPA had made gaming education meetings mandatory for all players, even before the legalization wave of recent years, adding that he understood how this had become a major problem for many players.
“At the end of the day, guys are always going to ask you when you go to the barbershop or when you’re walking around town, guys who are betting might ask, ‘Who’s playing tonight?’ said Temple. “Obviously, it’s something that, as a veteran or as a player, you (say), ‘I don’t know who’s playing tonight, man.’ You have to come to the game and watch. Jokes like that to make things light and we move on.
“Maybe it’s something that as PAs we need to spend more time teaching guys how to handle these things.”
This interaction has recently come under scrutiny. JB Bickerstaff, head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton have detailed their experiences with those who bet on games.
“It’s probably been part of the problem for two or three years, and the fans are blaming you for not meeting their bet,” Agbaji said. “It’s an every night thing for all of us in this locker room.”
Nwora added: “You get messages. You hear it on the sidelines. You see guys talking about it all the time. … Tyrese just said it the other day – (we’re props), yeah. It comes from being in the NBA. People bet on stupid things every day.
“People don’t complain when you have a good match. …I don’t get messages from people saying, “Thanks for helping me.” » It just is what it is. Just log out or just don’t check your messages.
News broke earlier this week that the NBA introduces betting to its live game streaming on NBA League Pass, allowing viewers to view certain betting lines during a game while watching it on the mobile app. Only point spreads, money lines, and over/under for a game’s point total are currently displayed. (Athleticism has a partnership with BetMGM since 2021.)
“It’s really interesting. It’s really embarrassing. … You watch a game and you can see FanDuel or DraftKings as a significant sponsor for a team,” Temple said. “Obviously, it’s (against the rules) for us to do it in any type of professional basketball, like the NBA, the G League, WNBA. We understand that.
“It’s embarassing. But at the same time, like I said, we understand what we’re getting ourselves into.
(Photo: Rick Osentoski / USA Today)
