Kings Scout Bet On NBA Games, I Wonder Who He Bet Against? (Hint: The Kings)

‘I Resigned’

That’s all Jack Mai, an International NBA Talent Scout for the Sacramento Kings had to say about his dismissal and banning from the NBA. Mai bet on NBA games, though, according to the Yahoo Sports article, Mai ‘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.’

I guess it’s kind of a grey area, since he’s not directly involved in the outcome of the game unlike basketball gambling poster child Tim Donaghy, but then again gambling and the NBA have essentially been mixed in a poisonous cocktail thanks to said poster child.

On a related note, all this bad publicity with gambling and the NBA only pushes back further a potential NBA team in Las Vegas. That blows because Vegas is actually a sweet place to watch a basketball game, unlike many of the crappy cities that actually have NBA teams. Cleveland, Charlotte, Oklahoma City, Christ, they are all horrible places to watch an NBA game. Don’t get me started about Oakland either. For those of you yelling ‘aren’t YOU from Oakland?’ I answer Oakland is indeed a shitty place to host a sporting event. Have you been to an A’s game in McAfee (or whatever its called now) Coliseum? Now, have you been to a Giants game at AT&T park? Which is better?

I rest my case.

Jack Mai also pretty much re-affirms every shady stereotype white people have about Asians. The gambling is bad enough, but as the Yahoo article also states: Besides the gambling investigation, one league source said Mai had “questionable business dealings with Korean and Chinese basketball teams and leagues.”

Good grief.