The demand on NBA players to perform well during a rigorous 82 game regular season is relentless. Pressure from family, coaches and fans all factor in for young players looking to establish himself in the league. Add to the social media and the rapidly growing sports betting industry, and players can sometimes be overwhelmed by outside forces.
In a recent interview with James Boyd of The Athletic, Tyrese Haliburton opened up on meeting with a sports psychologist to handle his mental issues. During the latter stages of the interview, the Indiana Pacers’ guard provided his personal views on the topic of sports betting.
“Not everybody cares to hear how we feel,” said Haliburton. “To half the world, I’m just helping them make money on DraftKings or whatever. I’m the prop, you know what I mean?”
I also asked #Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton specifically about speaking to a sports psychologist, and he noted in his response how sports betting has consumed a lot of his social media.
“To half the world, I’m just helping them make money on DraftKings or whatever. I’m a prop.“ pic.twitter.com/6f2a0vEuiK
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) March 20, 2024
Haliburton went on to speak about the impact of social media on players and how his accounts a littered with fans focused on betting.
“That’s what my social media mostly consists of,” added Haliburton. “I think all that stuff, it can be funny sometimes. Somebody’s like, ‘I lost a $1,000.’ Now, I don’t give a f***,” he said.
The rise in legal gambling across many U.S. states has been a trending topic not just in the NBA, but with other professional sports leagues as well.
Three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert was recently fined $100,000 for making a money gesture (rubbed his fingers together) towards the NBA referees during the Minnesota Timberwolves loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
