Maverick Carter, the manager and business partner of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, told federal investigators in 2021 he had bet on NBA games through an illegal bookmaker, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.
The newspaper, citing federal law enforcement documents viewed by the Post, reported that Carter told agents he “could not remember placing any bets on the Lakers.”
Carter’s admission came in a November 2021 interview with agents investigating bookie Wayne Nix, who has since pleaded guilty to charges that stemmed from his role running an off-shore sports betting ring.
A spokesman for Carter and James confirmed to the Post that the interview took place.
“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 to the newspaper.
“Mr. Carter was not the target of the investigation, cooperated, was never charged, and never contacted again on the matter.”
The Post said the report it reviewed indicated that Carter said he placed approximately 20 bets on football and basketball games over the course of a year, with each bet ranging from $5,000 to $10,000.
He denied placing bets for other people and Mendelsohn told the Post that Carter’s wagering “has nothing to do with” James.
The NBA prohibits players, team officials and league officials from betting on league games, and the National Basketball Players Association also includes agents in its rule, but business managers are not included by either group.
Carter, 42, was a childhood friend of James in Akron, Ohio. Now they co-own a media company and are minority owners in the Boston Red Sox and English Premier League club Liverpool.
Prosecutors said Nix’s operation ran for two decades.
US sports leagues were long opposed to legalized gambling, but since a Supreme Court ruling in 2018 cleared away restrictions outside of Nevada and gambling has been legalized in multiple states, leagues have embraced legal betting.
