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J.B. Bickerstaff Says He Was Threatened By Gamblers

March 21, 2024 by Hoops Rumors

Meeting with reporters before Wednesday’s game, Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff talked about receiving threats from gamblers last season, writes Tom Withers of The Associated Press. After Bickerstaff reported the threats to the NBA, one of the people responsible was tracked down, but no charges were filed.

“They got my telephone number and were sending me crazy messages about where I live and my kids and all that stuff,” he said. “So it is a dangerous game and a fine line that we’re walking for sure.”

With sports betting now legal in 38 states and the District of Columbia, gambling has never had a more prominent role in the NBA. Withers notes that a sportsbook operates inside the Cavs’ arena, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, and fans are able to place bets on their phones during games.

“It brings added pressure,” Bickerstaff said. “It brings a distraction to the game that can be difficult for players, coaches, referees, everybody that’s involved in it. And I think that we really have to be careful with how close we let it get to the game and the security of the people who are involved in it. 

“Because again, it does carry a weight. A lot of times the people who are gambling like this money pays their light bill or pay their rent, and then the emotions that come from that. So I do think we’re walking a very fine line and we have to be extremely careful in protecting everybody who’s involved.”

The question of whether gambling has become too pervasive in the NBA crops up occasionally, most recently when Minnesota center Rudy Gobert received a technical for making a “money” gesture at officials after fouling out of a game at Cleveland earlier this month. Gobert accused the referees of letting gambling concerns influence their calls and was fined $100K for his comments.

Bickerstaff didn’t pursue that route, but he said the influence of betting has “crossed the line.”

“The amount of times where I’m standing up there and we may have a 10-point lead and the spread is 11 and people are yelling at me to leave the guys in so that we can cover the spread, it’s ridiculous,” he said. “But again, I understand the business side of it and the nature of the business of it. But I mean, it is something that I believe has gone too far.”

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