Russell Westbrooks’ wife receives death threat emails

Following the Sacramento Kings’ loss to the Orlando Magic on Thursday night, Russell Westbrook’s wife, Nina Westbrook, revealed that she had received an email containing death threats, as per Matt Moret of The Athletic. Nina posted screenshots of the email to her social media account on Friday, along with her belief that it stems from the ever-increasing gambling culture and the negativity that surrounds it.

“The negative effects of sports betting brings out the worst in people smh,” Nina Westbrook wrote on her social media post. “Unfortunately this is not an isolated incident. It’s something my husband and I consider routine. With that said, I’m sharing this now because I’m growing increasingly concerned for athletes. I felt it important to highlight the effects that sports betting has on individuals and how it pts athletes and their families in potentially dangerous positions.”

The email that was received was expletive-laden and violent in nature.

Earlier this season, federal authorities announced charges being brought against former and current NBA faces in regards to illegal gambling activities. Former NBA player Damon Jones and current Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were both charged with allegations of distributing confidential information for betting.

Current Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups was also arrested at the same time on charges of participating in illegal poker games.

When the charges were first announced, Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown cited growing concerns among NBA players regarding potential safety and integrity issues amid the growth of the sports betting industry.

“That whole world was introduced a couple of years ago, and I don’t think they took players into consideration – especially with the energy, the behavior that goes around gambling and how that directly correlates with players,” Brown said. “We don’t benefit from any of the profits, but we’ve got to deal with a lot of the extra negativity and scrutiny behind all the gambling stuff. On top of that, it creates more integrity issues.”