Sports betting has been a hot topic in recent days, and now Cleveland Cavaliers Coach JB Bickerstaff weighs in on the conversation. During pregame media availability Wednesday night, as the Cavaliers prepared to take on the Heat, Bickerstaff talked about his own experience with sports betting and how he thinks it has gone too far.
“There is no doubt that we have exceeded the limits”, Bickerstaff said. “The number of times I’m standing up there and we can be up 10 points and the spread is 11 and people are yelling at me to leave the guys here so we can cover the spread, it’s is ridiculous. But again, I understand the business aspect, the nature of the business, but this is something that I think has gone too far.”
Bickerstaff then detailed his personal experience with sports bettors who found his information and sent him messages regarding lost bets.
“I’ve personally had my own instances with some sports players, where they got my phone number and sent me crazy messages about where I live, and my kids and all that,” Bickerstaff said.
“So it’s a dangerous game and a fine line that we walk, that’s for sure. It brings extra pressure, a distraction into the game that can be difficult for players, coaches, referees and everyone involved in it. are involved I think we really have to be careful about the proximity to the game and the safety of the people involved in it because it often carries weight, for the people who play, that money pays their light bill or pays. .their rent, and then the emotions that come with it. So I think we walk a very fine line, and we have to be extremely careful to protect everyone involved.
Bickerstaff’s comments come after Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton spoke on the subject earlier this week. Haliburton responded to a general question asking if he had ever spoken to a sports psychologist to discuss certain things, to which he specifically pointed out how many people only care about how much money he can make them from to sports betting.
“Nobody cares how we feel. For half the world, I’m just helping them make money on DraftKings or whatever.” said Haliburton. “I’m a prop. That’s what my social media is mostly about.”
Miami heat Coach Erik Spoelstra detailed a specific incident with a sports player that occurred last year during a game. Someone had to be fired because they were so upset Victor Oladipo do not take 3 open points at the end of the match.
“I think it’s somewhat contradictory,” Spoelstra said Wednesday evening. “I think it follows a strange line. We had an incident behind our bench last year with (Victor) Oladipo. Someone was screaming. Security had to take him away. The game was already over and, by all accounts, Obviously, he didn’t shoot an open 3-pointer at the end of the game. The game was already decided, and this fan was totally beside himself, and he was a player, regardless of the score. a lot of unintended consequences with that from a security standpoint, I’m not sure everyone understood.”
There has been a wave of legalization of sports betting in many states over the years, and it is now legal in 38 states, in addition to Puerto Rico and Washington, DC. USA today, four NBA teams have sports betting in arenas starting in September 2023. This allows fans to place bets inside the arena, providing a new source of revenue for teams and arenas.
Beyond sports betting in arenas, the NBA He has long been rumored to be interested in starting a franchise in Las Vegas, the epicenter of gaming, which would only intensify the conversation. But despite the growing acceptance of sports betting, it’s clear that the league’s coaches and players are a little hesitant about their place in the NBA.
Looking for more NBA coverage? John Gonzalez, Bill Reiter, Ashley Nicole Moss and special guests dive into the league’s biggest storylines daily on the Beyond the Arc podcast.
