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Fred VanVleet suffered a torn ACL and could miss the entire 2025-26 NBA season.
Point guard Fred VanVleet recently shared a story about an NBA fan approaching him in church over a gambling result. The Houston Rockets starter has yet to play a game this season due to injury, but he holds a strong reputation around the league as a respected veteran. VanVleet’s podcasting time has increased this season due to his time off the court with more stories coming in.
VanVleet shared the following about getting confronted in church last season by the fan who lost a parlay involving him:
“It’s the ‘in person’ one (fan comment) you’ve got to be careful for. I had somebody run down on me in church. ‘You f***ed up my parlay.’ In church. I said, ‘Damn.’ $3,000. It was some youngin’. I couldn’t believe it. It’s real out here.”
The shocking scenario of someone talking about a gambling loss in church makes for one of the wildest NBA gambling related stories. NBA and other sports leagues prioritizing lucrative gambling sponsorships have led to fans leaving hateful social media comments to players after losing bets. VanVleet topped that by having someone approach on his day off in church, and he revealed it was a young adult.
NBA Players Have Mixed Feelings On Gambling
VanVleet is not the first NBA player to share or get filmed in a scenario like this. Jimmy Butler was filmed being quite upset by a fan calling him out for not scoring enough points to win his bet. Other players have addressed the social media comments and the league showing a higher emphasis on gambling.
However, certain top stars like Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James have signed sponsorship deals with gambling companies to benefit from it. Antetokounmpo was recently under fire for his deal with Kalshi, especially since they offer bets for non-game actions like his next team after the Milwaukee Bucks.
James and Durant offer promo codes and special deals for their specific gambling sites. Fans can take their suggested picks to use for a wager, but the multi-leg parlays rarely make due to the degree of difficulty.
Gambling Scandals Can Haunt The NBA
Recent stories of Miami Heat point guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups getting in trouble with the law still troubles the league. The NBA wants every broadcast to market gambling, but they must keep players away from gambling on the NBA games.
Players and coaches getting into trouble for tipping off betters or trying to profit from their on-court actions is one of the worst image issues possible. VanVleet’s story sounds funny and cute for the silliness, but it can easily become a serious issue if that fan was dangerous.
Basketball fans gambling hundreds to thousands of dollars on games makes watching sports more personal. VanVleet and other players will likely have to deal with upset fans more each passing year. Most national games have marketing promotions trying to make fans gamble and more fans losing bets than winning means the players will be the one targeted.
Joey Haverford Joey Haverford is a seasoned sports content writer with over 12 years of experience. He has covered the NBA, WNBA, MLB, NFL, and professional wrestling in the sports industry. More about Joey Haverford
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