Maverick Carter, the manager for Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, told federal agents in 2021 that he had bet on NBA games through an illegal bookmaker, per The Washington Post.
Carter, who is also business partners with LeBron, told federal agents that he “could not remember placing any bets on the Lakers” and denied placing bets for others. Carter said he placed approximately 20 bets on football and basketball games for about a year, with each bet ranging from $5,000 to $10,000.
The NBA prohibits players, team officials and league officials from betting on games and the National Basketball Players Association also includes agents in its rule. However, business managers are not included in either group.
LeBron didn’t know about Carter’s conversation with federal agents until “the last 24 hours” when he spoke to reporters on November 30.
“Maverick’s his own man and at the end of the day, gambling is legal,” LeBron 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.”
Adam Mendelsohn, a spokesperson for Carter and LeBron, released the following statement to The Washington Post: “In 2021 and before 38 states and the District of Columbia legalized sports betting, Maverick Carter was interviewed a single time by federal law enforcement regarding their investigation into Wayne Nix. Mr. Carter was not the target of the investigation, cooperated, was never charged, and never contacted again on the matter.”
LeBron and Carter grew up together in Akron, Ohio. LeBron, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, is averaging 24.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.4 assists for the Lakers this season.
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