Longtime business buddy Carter admitted to betting on sports via an illegitimate bookmaker in 2021, but said he “could not remember placing any bets on the Lakers.” The Washington Post published a story on Thursday.
The star of the Lakers, LeBron James, said on Thursday night that he had just learned about Maverick Carter, his longstanding business partner and manager, allegedly making bets via an unauthorized bookie, “the last 24 hours.”
The Washington Post revealed on Thursday afternoon that Carter acknowledged betting on NBA games in an interview with federal investigators in November 2021 who were looking into bookie Wayne Nix. The Post cited information they had seen from federal criminal enforcement.
According to the Washington Post investigation, Carter denied making wagers on behalf of other persons and told federal authorities he “could not remember placing any bets on the Lakers.” Nix entered a guilty plea to charges relating to his involvement in the operation of an online sports betting operation.
A representative for Carter and James, Adam Mendelsohn, said in a statement to the Washington Post: “Maverick Carter was interrogated once by federal law enforcement for their Wayne Nix investigation in 2021, before to the legalization of sports betting in 38 states and the District of Columbia. Mr. Carter cooperated, was never prosecuted, and was never approached again on the case. He was not the investigation’s goal.
According to The Washington Post, Mendelsohn said that Carter’s bets had “nothing to do with him” when asked about James. Speaking after the Lakers’ 133-110 defeat over the Oklahoma City Thunder, James had no worries about how others might interpret the circumstances.
“Maverick’s his own man and at the end of the day, gambling is legal,” James said. “I mean, you can go on your phone right now and do whatever you want. And he has no affiliation with the NBA or NFL, so, he can do what he wants to do.”
While there are rules prohibiting certain NBA personnel, such as coaches, players, staff members, and agents, from betting on games, there aren’t specific regulations preventing business managers like Maverick Carter from placing wagers. LeBron James mentioned that he has observed an increase in gambling-related discussions in recent times. It remains to be seen if Carter’s betting activities will prompt any changes or discussions around potential regulations in the NBA. The league may choose to address the matter, considering the growing prominence of sports betting in the broader landscape of professional sports.
“It’s weird that some of our regular fans [who] love the game kind of only care about a parlay now – I guess that’s the word everybody is using,” James added. “It’s kind of taken some of the integrity out of the game because people are kind of really only caring about the betting. I mean, it’s always [happened]. It’s been going on for years. But it’s legalized now. The majority, right? I think it’s in 38-plus states. So, I mean, to each his own.”
James added: “You hear it. And you see it on social media all the time, too. But people play Fantasy Football and Fantasy Basketball as well and it’s like, ‘I need you to get four 3s tonight … I need you to get six assists.’ Whatever. I mean, I don’t care about that stuff.”