NBA bans Kings scout for gambling on team
The NBA has banned former Sacramento Kings assistant director of scouting Jack Mai for betting money on league games, including those involving the Kings, Yahoo! Sports has learned.
The league informed teams in a memo on Wednesday afternoon that an investigation revealed Mai bet on NBA games “limited to small amounts of money among acquaintances and there is no evidence that he ever attempted to use his position with the Kings to influence the outcome of any NBA game.”
Mai bet on the Kings' games for years, “some for, and some against,” a league source told Yahoo! Sports.
When reached by phone on Wednesday afternoon, Mai said only, “I resigned,” and declined further comment.
The NBA told teams they can never employ, nor use Mai in a consultant’s capacity. League rules forbid employees from betting on any NBA games, especially those involving their own teams.
"We take this matter very seriously, and we fully cooperated with the NBA’s investigation," the Kings said in a statement.
Business partners of Mai tipped the NBA to his betting, a league source told Yahoo! Sports. After eight years with the organization, the Kings fired Mai early in 2009. Besides the gambling investigation, one league source said Mai had “questionable business dealings with Korean and Chinese basketball teams and leagues.”
"He was using his position with the Kings to make business deals for players, equipment, etc., and appearances by NBA players in Asia for money," the source said.
Donaghy tried to peddle a tell-all book that would’ve alleged further impropriety among officials and the league, but the publisher said the threat of potential liability ultimately killed the book’s release.
