The relationship between the NBA and the world of gambling has been making headlines for decades. In some cases, certain players’ fondness for blackjack tables and poker tournaments is more than well documented, but it has generally been easier to spot them in brick-and-mortar casinos than in digital ones. Even so, quite a few are known to have enjoyed gambling, including cases that have added a bit of mystique to their sporting careers.
Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan is a basketball genius and one of the ‘90s icons. A legend, a symbol of the sport, and, as such, the subject of countless stories. Back in 2020, ESPN revisited his own words on one of the many episodes that became controversial: he denied ever betting on games and summed up his position with a very direct line, saying he never gambled on games and only bet on himself, especially in golf. He did, however, admit that he liked playing blackjack from time to time. Added to that was the much-discussed trip to Atlantic City on the night before Game 2 of the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals against the Knicks, an episode that helped cement the idea that his competitiveness did not end when the court emptied.
Charles Barkley
Another player as famous as he is controversial, though Barkley has been far more open than Jordan about his relationship with gambling. Charles Barkley even admitted that he had lost “probably $10 million” gambling. The most revealing part of his remarks was the tone, since he spoke about gambling as a source of excitement that was still part of his life, maybe recreating what he felt as a professional basketball player. Soon after, an ESPN piece recalled that he continued to combine losses with occasional wins, a sign of just how much the casino meant more than a passing distraction for the former 76ers, Suns, and Rockets star.
Dwyane Wade
Another player linked to the casino scene is a former teammate of LeBron James. In December 2023, the former Miami Heat star was one of the featured guests at the major launch of craps, roulette, and sports betting at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, an event in which several celebrities took part in the symbolic opening moments of the new tables and where, according to reports from the night, Wade joined the action on the casino floor. There, we saw a former superstar, three times NBA champion, taking in the different Types of Roulette Bets & Their Payouts, showing just how much appeal these games still hold for retired basketball players.
Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce has an image closely tied to poker as part of both his social life and his competitive side. For example, the Celtics icon played in the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event, where he stayed in action for nearly 18 hours, thus, surviving longer than more than half the field before finally being eliminated. That made it clear he was not just making a cameo appearance; he was a player with a poker level that was almost as impressive as the one he showed on the court. Years earlier, an ESPN story about a charity poker tournament had already captured a very Pierce-like quote, in which he boasted that he was “the best poker player on the Celtics.”
Tony Parker
The former Spurs guard has been linked to several visible poker tournaments and has shown a genuine curiosity about the game. Parker made his debut in the WSOP Main Event in 2021 after qualifying for the event, having first come through a charity tournament held in San Antonio. It wasn’t a one-off appearance, either, because in 2024 he was seen again at a WSOP event, where he competed and mentioned the games he used to play during his time with the Spurs. In that sense, the four-time NBA champion comes across as someone who sees poker as yet another way to compete.
Shawn Marion
Shawn Marion may not come up as often in conversations about the greatest NBA stars, but he was still an important figure in the league. Furthermore, he had a very visible connection to casino games, specifically poker. Marion was a regular at the World Series of Poker during his summer trips to Las Vegas and, in 2011, he managed to finish in 800th place out of thousands of participants. It was far from the kind of occasional visit someone makes out of curiosity, it was something steady over time. ESPN The Magazine even profiled him as someone who organized poker tournaments on team flights, which places that hobby right inside his day-to-day routine with the Suns. Marion’s story is that of a steady player, a competitor who felt comfortable with both a basketball and a hand of cards.
Gilbert Arenas
Gilbert Arenas always had an intense relationship with anything that smelled like a challenge, and poker was no exception. Back in 2014, the three-time All-Star was in the Bahamas to play the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, where he was seen taking part in serious high-stakes games with professional players such as Jason Mercier and Scott Seiver before also sitting down for the $10,000 Main Event. In his career, the casino was simply one more extension of an electric personality that always seemed to need risk, tension, and the spotlight.
