LeBron’s business partner, Maverick Carter, admits using illegal bookie to bet thousands on NBA

Maverick Carter, the longtime manager and business partner of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, admitted to betting on NBA games through an illegal bookie, according to federal law enforcement records reviewed by The Washington Post.

Carter made the admission during a November 2021 interview with federal agents investigating bookie Wayne Nix, who has since pleaded guilty to charges stemming from his role running a sprawling offshore sports-betting ring. Carter told agents he "could not remember placing any bets on the Lakers," according to an investigative report summarizing the interview.

Carter and his attorneys told investigators, the records show, that he placed approximately 20 bets on football and basketball games over the course of a year, with each bet ranging from $5,000 to $10,000. NBA policies bar players, team and league officials from gambling on NBA games, but the league does not have purview over business managers or agents. The National Basketball Players Association, the players union, bars agents but not business managers from betting on the NBA. Both the NBA and the players association declined to comment.