Cavs coach JB Bickerstaff reveals he’s been threatened by gamblers: ‘It’s a dangerous game’

Before the Cavaliers hosted the Heat on Wednesday night, coach J.B. Bickerstaff reminded us all that gambling is much closer to basketball than we all want to believe. According to the tactician, he’s was threatened by gamblers last season and reported it to the NBA. 

While being asked about sport gambling in general, following the recent remarks made by Tyrese Haliburton about feeling like a “prop,” Bickerstaff opened up about a situation he had to endure last year.

“They got my telephone number and were sending me crazy messages about where I live and my kids and all that stuff,” J.B. said before losing at home to Miami 107-104. “So it is a dangerous game and a fine line that we’re walking for sure.”

Cavaliers Coach JB Bickerstaff Received Threats From Gamblers https://t.co/rnV6ojvfbT

— Hoops Wire (@WireHoops) March 21, 2024

The coach then revealed that he pressed no charges, but security solved the situation and the gambler was located. “No charges,” he assured. “But they found him.”

The fourth-year coach in Cleveland acknowledged that sport gambling is only a growing industry in the United States, and this makes his job much more difficult as there’s more at stake.

“It brings added pressure,” the 45-year-old said. “It brings a distraction to the game that can be difficult for players, coaches, referees, everybody that’s involved in it. And I think that we really have to be careful with how close we let it get to the game and the security of the people who are involved in it.”

He believes more people depend on gambling to make a living. “Because again, it does carry a weight. A lot of times the people who are gambling like this money pays their light bill or pay their rent, and then the emotions that come from that. So I do think we’re walking a very fine line and we have to be extremely careful in protecting everybody who’s involved,” J.B. insisted.

According to Bickerstaff, the line between gambling and basketball has never been closer

Betting is becoming easier every day, as now gamblers can even do it on their phones while they are watching a game at the arena and have very little limitations to do so. Even the Cavaliers have a sportsbook inside their own Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

The Cleveland coach believes gambling is closer to the sport than ever before. “There’s no doubt about it that it’s crossed the line,” he said. “The amount of times where I’m standing up there and we may have a 10-point lead and the spread is 11 and people are yelling at me to leave the guys in so that we can cover the spread, it’s ridiculous.”

“But again, I understand the business side of it and the nature of the business of it. But I mean, it is something that I believe has gone too far,” he shared before their matchup against Miami.

Not too long ago, Rudy Gobert received a technical foul and he criticized the call by making a money gesture to the officials. Later he told the press that he felt that gambling is “hurting our game,” but was eventually punished by the NBA with a hefty $100,000 fine.