Report: LeBron James' manager Maverick Carter made illegal bets with bookie on NBA
Maverick Carter — the childhood friend turned long-time manager and business partner of LeBron James, admitted in a 2021 federal investigation that he bet tens of thousands of dollars on NBA games with an illegal bookie, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.
The revelation was part of the investigation of Wayne Nix, who pled guilty to multiple charges related to his running an offshore sports-betting ring, an investigation the Post reviewed. The Post reached out to James and Carter for a statement and got this in response:
"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," the spokesman, Adam Mendelsohn, said in a statement. "Mr. Carter was not the target of the investigation, cooperated, was never charged, and never contacted again on the matter.”
He declined to answer questions about James, saying Carter's wagering "has nothing to do with him." In the law enforcement interview, Carter denied placing bets for other people.
Carter told investigators he placed around 20 bets on football and basketball games, with wagers between $5,000 and $10,000 each. He also said he knew Nix and they had hung out together in Las Vegas but not outside that city. Carter was not the only NBA name caught up in this investigation, Hall of Fame player Scottie Pippen admitted placing a bet with Nix.
Carter is neither a player agent nor an NBA team employ him in any capacity. While his placing bets may have been illegal it was not a violation of any NBA bylaws or rules because he is not employed by the league or a team.
However, Carter is closely tied to LeBron James, who for 21 years has been one of the faces — often THE face — of the NBA, and through it all LeBron has avoided any scandalous controversies. There is no evidence LeBron even knew of these bets let alone had any influence over them. However, the idea that Carter used "inside" information gathered from conversations with LeBron to make these bets is not a huge leap of faith. The big question is, did Carter bet on games LeBron was a part of? That is not known, there is no public list of the bets Carter made.
The NBA has avoided the player gambling scandals that have hit the NFL, PGA and MLB, although that was likely more about luck than the idea no player has placed a bet. Carter, however, is in a different situation — he is not a player or someone who could influence the outcome of a game. Still, it places a cloud over LeBron and he will be asked questions about the situation in the coming days.
