The recent indictments made against Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier, and Damon Jones have shocked the sports world, marking a new NBA betting scandal that has now become the top story in the league.
While many players, coaches, and staff have stayed quiet on the first day of the news, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who has proven to always speak his mind, was one of the first to share his perspective on the matter.
Speaking in his postgame press conference after Stephen Curry led the Golden State Warriors to a win over the Denver Nuggets and Aaron Gordon’s historic 50-point game, Kerr said the betting pressures around the NBA are becoming a greater and greater issue.
“The biggest thing is that our players face a lot of wrath of fans,” Kerr said, explaining his experiences watching gambling take over the NBA. “I’ve talked to our guys, our guys get nasty social media posts from people that bet on games. That’s the thing that I don’t like about this the most, our players should not have to deal with that, but they do. They probably would anyway even if we didn’t have a partnership with these companies.”
Billups, head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, and Rozier, point guard for the Miami Heat, were two of more than 30 people who were recently indicted on federal gambling charges in what has now turned into the league’s most pressing issue.
Kerr On Gambling Issues Around The NBA
Billups and Rozier have both been placed on ‘immediate leave‘ as the league, as well as the FBI, investigates the matter. While news and information about the charges are still in the beginning stages, Kerr made clear his beliefs on gambling as a whole. Specifically, he focused on how he has seen fans directing anger towards players and the impact it has on the game.
“I‘ve gotten some emails in the past from people I don’t know saying ‘hey thanks a lot I had money on the game tonight and you screwed up by subbing so-and-so in‘ or something like that,” Kerr said. “It’s weird.”
The Warriors’ head coach said the prevalence of gambling in sports hurts the players. While Kerr said he didn’t know what a fix to the issue would look like, he said he felt bad for the negative attention players receive when it comes to the ire of a fan losing their bet.
“It’s modern life, social media, everyone having access to everyone else,” he added. “It’s rough. I feel bad for our guys.”
Kerr also added that Golden State has gone through the proper precautions when it comes to their players knowing the NBA’s rules on gambling. He said the Warriors’ players were ‘well aware‘ of the restrictions put in place based on their status in the league.
“Our legal counsel talked to the team four days ago, Kerr said. “Go through the bullet points of everything that’s not allowed, with this (gambling investigation) issue. So our players are well aware of what they are allowed to do.”
The investigation into the new NBA betting scandal is still in the beginning stages, but in just his brief comments, Kerr made his stance clear on the issue.
Steph Curry Heroics Lead GSW To 2-0
While the NBA betting scandal was the leading storyline, the Warriors moved to 2-0 with a win over the Nuggets on Thursday night. Gordon had a historic 50-point performance with ten three-pointers, but it was Curry who closed things out for the win.
Curry hit a deep three late in regulation to tie the score, and after another deep three early in overtime, he made the clinching free throws to take the six-point win. Following the game, Draymond Green was the first to sing Curry’s praise.
“The bigger the moment, the more he rises,” Green said of his teammate. “He’s this quiet guy … but he loves the show. Anytime there’s a show to be put on, he’s going to do it.”
Curry finished with 42 points on 14/25 shooting, including six three-pointers. Despite being 37 and one of the oldest players in the NBA, he reminded Gordon and the Nuggets of his status as one of the best players in the sport’s history.
“The shot he made to tie it toward the end [of regulation], it’s a shot that only he can make,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said.
While it was Curry who finished as the star of the show, Golden State has gotten strong performances out of Jimmy Butler and Al Horford to begin the season, two players expected to have big roles on the team.
Though Horford has yet to start, Kerr saw the most success with a lineup featuring Curry, Butler, Green, Jonathan Kuminga, and Horford, a group that he said hadn’t played together, but one he liked watching.
“It was really fun to watch a group that’s never played together close a game against one of the best teams in the league,” Kerr said.
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