Top 5 NBA Stars That Have a Passion for Online Casino Games

The NBA is one of the world’s most popular sports leagues, and as a result, the athletes who play in it are extremely well paid. The average salary of NBA players for the 2020-21 season was a massive $7.5 million, and the biggest stars of each team earn considerably more than that. Their salaries aren’t the only way they earn money, of course. Most of the top players also make big money from endorsements too. In fact, LeBron James brings in around 60% of his total earnings just from endorsements worth $70 million a year.

Naturally, with so much money being made, many of these athletes like to party hard and have fun. Gambling is often a common pastime, and many of them have competitive mindsets that mean they love playing casino games as well as betting on sports. Basketball stars frequent Las Vegas and Atlantic City, where they put their off-court abilities and luck to the test.

Today, you don’t even need to go to Vegas in order to gamble, as many online casinos are now available. You can find new casinos online by using this list, but if you want to know more about NBA stars that love to gamble, read on.

Michael Jordan – Michael Jordan is the most famous basketball player of all time and a legend who transcended the sport. Not only is he considered by many to be the greatest of all time, but he’s also well known for his love of gambling. Although Jordan’s gambling habits never truly got out of hand, he loves to gamble on just about anything, including sports, casino games, and even when playing golf with friends.

Shawn Marion – This retired player has 16 seasons under his belt and was nicknamed “The Matrix” for his versatility and sportsmanship. He has had a long and successful career as a basketball player, but his gambling life is equally worth discussing. Marion definitely enjoys playing poker as he’s been spotted at World Poker Tournaments and the World Series of Poker. He’s also staged Celebrity Poker Tournaments to generate money for the Shawn Marion Foundation, a nonprofit trust he owns.

Charles Barkley – This NBA great has probably lost the most money gambling compared to any of the other names on this list. In total, his reported losses at Vegas casinos total to more than $15 million, but considering his net worth is around $45 million, it probably doesn’t matter too much. Barkley was well known for going to casinos in Las Vegas to play high-limit tables such as Blackjack. One report claimed that he lost over $2.5 million at Blackjack in a single night.

Antoine Walker – The former Celtics player was a big fan of casinos and gambling, particularly enjoying poker. Although he was a great player, many blamed his eventual decline on his obsession with gambling. Over the years, Walker managed to rack up nearly a million dollars in gambling debts at various casinos. Although he filed for bankruptcy in 2010, he’s doing much better now and is able to gamble responsibly.

Seth Curry – Seth Curry is the younger brother of Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry. He currently plays for the Philadelphia 76ers but is also well known for enjoying casino games. He’s been spotted numerous times in Las Vegas casinos after games and is known to enjoy games such as Blackjack, Roulette, and Craps. Although he most likely gambles a lot, there haven’t been any stories about big losses, so he most likely doesn’t overdo it.