As sports betting is becoming more legal by the month, it was only a matter of time before gambling scandals hit the games again. We’ve been familiarized with the ills of Pete Rose in years past, as well as Tim Donaghy. Major League Baseball and the NBA have tried their darnedest to separate themselves from the stench of those scandals. But it’s simply inevitable that these scenarios pop up once again in the era of FanDuel and the like.

In January 2024, unusual betting habits associated with Malik Beasley’s statistics are what prompted the NBA’s most recent investigation regarding gambling. Last week, the Miami Heat’s Terry Rozier was found innocent of any involvement in his gambling investigation. So, it’s important to note that an investigation doesn’t necessarily mean that a player is guilty of having done anything. However, the NBA does have a precedent for players getting involved in this activity.

NBA players have done this before

Former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter was banned from the NBA for life for betting on games. With his distinction being a two-way player, meaning he played both in the G-League and the NBA, it meant he didn’t make top dollar. Albeit wrong, I can make sense of someone not making much money, trying to make more. What baffles me about some of these other cases is how well-paid players also can get caught up in this web. Granted, there hasn’t been a high-profile name in the NBA found guilty as yet. But unfortunately, I feel strongly that it’s just a matter of time, and I can’t grasp why.

Poor money management stories in the NBA has sort of become a thing of the past. There aren’t many, if any, Antoine Walker-type situations that exist in the league. The NBA has provided resources to these players coming in to help make sure that they don’t end up in those types of situations.

So then, why bet?

My guess is that players have a gambling problem, plain and simple. And although I understand banning a player for these actions, I also feel that these players need help. As they squander the wealth they’ve amassed, if they want the help, I think that they should receive it. As for the sanctity of the game, it must be preserved at all costs. That to me is unequivocal, but players have to be more disciplined.

For the life of me, I can’t understand why anyone would risk guaranteed millions in the future. If you get a lifetime ban from the NBA, your multimillion-dollar contract days are over. You’re literally taking yourself out of the game. Gambling involvement as a professional player laughs in the face of logic. And if you make the wrong decision with it, it won’t be you, as the player, with the last laugh.