![\"How](\"https:\/\/www.sportscasting.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Nikola-Vucevic-Ayo-Dosunmu-1.jpg\")
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The birthday boy should have been talking about life as a new 35-year-old or about returning to his old stomping grounds in Orlando, Florida, fresh off a 28-point opening night Wednesday against the Pistons.<\/p>\n
Instead, Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic was caught up in the only story suffocating the NBA right now.<\/p>\n
One day after Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Heat guard Terry Rozier and former Cavaliers player\/assistant coach Damon Jones were arrested as part of an investigation related to illegal sports betting and Mafia-backed rigged poker games, the rest of the league was speaking out.<\/p>\n
Not that there was much of a choice, considering the magnitude of the situation the NBA is facing.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018It\u2019s unfortunate to see that happening in our league,\u2019\u2019 Vucevic said Friday. \u2018\u2018Innocent until proven guilty, so I\u2019m not going to go too much into that. We don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen in the investigation, but I think in general gambling is a big problem. Not only here but worldwide. I think now that it\u2019s gotten into sports here, a lot of people are involved in it, a lot of people gamble and, unfortunately, a lot of people get stuck in it. And it\u2019s hard to get out.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018To go on your phone, all you need to do is download the app. We as players feel it a lot when we step on the court. Nowadays, you hear more. Before, it used to be, \u2018Hey, Vooch, get a win!\u2019 Now it\u2019s like, \u2018Hey, my parlay is 10 rebounds. I need 10 boards.\u2019 Or \u2018Hey, my parlay is 15 points.\u2019 You come out of a timeout and hear people say that. A lot of times you turn, and it\u2019s, like, 14-, 15-year-old kids. Honestly, it pisses me off because it\u2019s disrespectful to the game.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a trend Vucevic brought up last season, and he only sees it getting worse.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018We put so much work in, try to do the right thing, put a good product on the court and play the right way,\u2019\u2019 he said. \u2018\u2018And people focus on if I\u2019m gonna get 10 rebounds or not. It\u2019s very unfortunate. Even back home [Vucevic was raised in Belgium and Montenegro], there are a lot of places where you can gamble on sports. So, yeah, it\u2019s a big problem for the world. It\u2019s something the NBA is going to have to look at and try and fix it as much as possible.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not as though the NBA hasn\u2019t tried. Across all major professional sports, there are annual meetings between the leagues and players about the dangers of gambling. There are daily reminders with signs in the locker room. The information is given and stressed.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Nowadays, you have to be even more careful because you don\u2019t know who will come to you and ask, like, \u2018Hey, is Coby [White] back [from injury]?\u2019 And you say, \u2018No, he\u2019s not,\u2019 not even thinking they\u2019ll use something out of it,\u2019\u2019 Vucevic said. \u2018\u2018You get caught into it. It\u2019s a big problem.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
And a problem that likely won\u2019t be going away anytime soon. According to FBI Director Kash Patel, the three former NBA players were among 34 people arrested in operations that had been going on for years and involved \u2018\u2018tens of millions of dollars.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
So now it\u2019s a waiting game to see how long the investigation lasts and whether other names come out of it.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018I was really surprised and saddened by all of it,\u2019\u2019 Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said. \u2018\u2018It\u2019s sad that they\u2019re dealing with it personally as human beings and the league is dealing with it, as well.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
One day after Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Heat guard Terry Rozier and former Cavaliers player\/assistant coach Damon Jones were arrested as part of an investigation related to illegal sports betting and Mafia-backed rigged poker games, the Bulls \u2014 and the rest of the league \u2014 were\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":114016,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-114015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba"],"yoast_head":"\n