A gambling scandal has rocked the NBA at present, and Patrick Bet-David claims there is a chance that LeBron James eventually finds himself in trouble. Bet-David stated on The PBD Podcast that Maverick Carter’s admission in 2021 to making illegal bets on NBA games could result in the FBI looking into him amid this scandal. If Carter is found guilty, the media personality thinks James could get banned from the Hall of Fame for being guilty by association.
“Do you think President [Donald] Trump has a memory where he remembers everybody who called him out?” Bet-David asked. “… And do you remember what LeBron called the president once?”
James has taken a fair few shots at U.S. President Donald Trump over the years. Most notably, the 21-time All-Star called Trump a “bum” on X in 2017, and Bet-David reckons that wouldn’t have been forgotten.
“He called the president a bum,” Bet-David said. “Do you think if there’s any ties, text exchange, email exchange of Mav Carter asking Bron, ‘You gonna play tonight? You’re not gonna play tonight?’ Do you think, if there’s anybody, if you put ten names of people that know on any given night if LeBron’s playing or not, where would this guy rank on that list? He’d be in the top five.”
Co-host Adam Sosnick stated Carter, who co-founded LRMR Ventures with James, would be number one on that list. He is arguably the Los Angeles Lakers superstar’s closest associate, along with his agent, Rich Paul.
“So, if there is an ounce of anything on LeBron, do you think Kas [Patel] and their FBI will go investigating LeBron?” Bet-David asked. “And imagine if they do. Think about all the black eyes athletes have had. Let’s go through them.
“Pete Rose, greatest hitter of all time, 4,300 and something hits,” Bet-David continued. “… Did he ever make it into the Hall of Fame while he was alive? No. What was Michael Jordan’s [problem]? Gambling. What happened there? Took a year and a half off and played baseball. [Alex Rodriguez], [Rafael] Palmeiro, [Mark] McGwire, [Sammy] Sosa, what was that? Steroids. What’s that going to look like, Hall of Fame?
“FYI, if this goes that direction, none of those things will come as close to this as possible,” Bet-David stated. “And guess who will not go in the Hall of Fame? LeBron James… I think there is an element of if there is a guy that they go after that has immediate ties to LeBron, it’s Mav Carter. If they get Mav Carter, guilty by association, they get LeBron. If this happens, they keep LeBron out of Hall of Fame. Holy s***.
“By the way, do you know in the history of the NBA who has been kept out of the Hall of Fame? Bet-David asked. “Nobody… There’s never been a single person in the history of the NBA that’s been banned from the Hall of Fame, and LeBron could be the first.”
Carter wasn’t charged back in 2021 for placing bets via an illegal bookie. He had also stated he could not remember if he placed any bets on the Lakers, and Bet-David found that to be quite suspicious. He thinks that Carter getting away scot-free might have been down to Joe Biden being the president at the time. He doesn’t believe Trump will let anything go, considering how strained that relationship is.
Back when this news came up in 2023, James had stated that the only reason the story had legs was because Carter is close to him. He also made it clear he wasn’t aware what his business partner was doing.
James also appears to have been unaware of his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate and coach Damon Jones’ actions that have landed him in trouble with the authorities. It is alleged that Jones shared non-public information about the superstar with gamblers.
Jones, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups were among 30+ individuals arrested on Thursday as part of investigations into illegal gambling on games and rigged poker games that had ties to the Mafia.
