When it comes to gambling, nobody does it more often and more intensely than professional sports players. For all the training and dedication needed to master their craft, sometimes having a bit of luck on your side never hurts anyone. In fact, you could argue that each time a player aims to score a point at a match, they are gambling the course of the entire game on a single moment that might make the difference between winning and losing. Just like sports players like to make the most out of a situation, gambling lovers also want to make as much money as possible whenever they partake in their favourite hobby. To do so, feel free to look for the highest payout online casinos available, so you can make the most out of your deposit from wherever you are.
Professional NBA players are no exception to the rule, and certain players, in particular, have taken a fondness for gambling. After all, professional NBA stars have more than enough money to spare. So, why not take some chances with that money and double it with some smart gambling choices?
Who are these particular players, though? And what kind of gambling choices have they made that make them stand out from other sporting professional bettors? That is what we are here to answer. In the following article, we will showcase and list out some of the most well-known NBA players. They are renowned for their skill and experience on both the court, casino games, and betting. Some of these might surprise you, and who knows? You might even learn new betting techniques and approaches to improve your betting game and maximize your winnings.
Gambling NBA-style
Amongst professional NBA players that enjoy betting, you can find all kinds of playe among professional NBA players who enjoy betting. Even though they all make magical plays on the basketball court, you have players with varying gambling knowledge and experience levels. The quantities involved in these games may seem astronomical to us. However, to elite players like those found in the NBA, figures like a million dollars may seem as little as spare change or as mounting-up debt that can cause severe problems to pay, as we will see. Certain players find themselves much better bettors than others, shown at a full display in certain anecdotal situations that display their experiences with gambling. After all, as with everything else in life, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.
Without further ado, we give you some of the best-known NBA stars like Michael Jordan, who also enjoy being a part of the gambling and casino culture world.
Michael Jordan
To kick off this list, who better than one of the most famous NBA superstars who ever lived? Not only is Michael Jordan an artist on the basketball court and an experienced gambler whose first steps in the world of gambling stem from his youth. Even though he is officially denied being a fan of gambling publicly, there is more than enough evidence to show he partakes in the hobby from time to time. He has played almost any gambling game imaginable, from cards to off-the-record bets with co-workers.
He is said to have lost a million dollars playing cards alongside some of his teammates. This being an unfathomable sum of money for some of us, it probably wasn’t anything earthshattering for someone of Michael Jordan’s calibre.
An amusing little anecdote perfectly exemplifies Jordan’s penchant for gambling is how he once wagered 10,000 dollars on a game of Rock Paper Scissor. Not only that, but he also taught another famous NBA player and close personal friend the basics of gambling, which leads us to our next NBA player.
Antoine Walker
A close friend of Michael Jordan and retired NBA player, Antoine Walker, has had a tumultuous history with gambling that shows its dark side when taken to the excess. He has struggled severely with gambling addiction issues and even faced criminal charges related to his inability to pay his gambling debts.
A prime example of his gambling problems can be seen when he committed a felony case related to his gambling addiction. He wrote fraudulent checks to three separate prestigious casinos: Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood, and the Red Rock Resort, to cover an 882,500 dollar gambling debt. His gambling debts began piling up at several different casinos, eventually forcing him to quit his career. It is rumoured that back in 2009, he owed quantities at least in 10 different casinos, exceeding one million dollars.
J.R Smith
In comparison to the previous example of gambling gone wrong, J.R Smith shows how gambling does not need to be a disruptive and malicious habit. Regarded as a more moderate, strategic and self-controlled gambler, J.R Smith enjoyed travelling to Atlantic City casinos to partake in poker and blackjack games.
An interesting anecdote that showcases his love of gambling was when a burglar broke into his house in 2010. He took, alongside many other valuable belongings, a briefcase containing 15,000 dollars for gambling purposes only.
