Kendrick Perkins, a former NBA center, has recently spoken about his struggles with gambling addiction and the toll this took on his mentality and personal life. He touched on an important topic – debt, which has been incurred by reckless gambling spending and the ramifications that could have.
Perkins Cautions about What Gambling Harm Could Do to an Athlete
Perkins used the recent scandal with Marcus Morris as a catalyst to talk about his struggles during an episode of the Road Trippin podcast.
“So let me say this, as a guy who used to be a big-time gambler at casinos. Like four or five years ago, I had a gambling addiction. I actually went up to the casino and signed myself that I would never gamble again. Not that they made me, I did it. I was a blackjack type of guy,” Perkins explained.
Gambling addiction and debt have been defining parts of Perkins’ own struggles with gambling and gambling-related harm, and the player spoke of how easy it is to get into debt by simply opting for the credit extended to players by casinos.
Even high-profile clients such as Perkins, though, are susceptible to addiction, the player argued, cautioning others to be vigilant and not give in. Morris, in the meantime, has played in the NBA for 13 seasons, and he was arrested on July 27 in Broward County, Florida.
The reason why? Morris supposedly wrote $260,000 in bad checks to the MGM Grand and Wynn Las Vegas. Perkins, though, is compassionate with his fellow player. “I know what gambling could do to you,” he said in the episode.
Casino Lines of Credit Are the Devil’s Plaything
He cautioned against players accepting lines of credit at casinos, as they would always provide it to them – it was in their best interest. In the meantime, NBA players have indeed gotten into trouble.
Apart from Morris, there is Gilbert Arenas, a former NBA All-Star, who has also faced legal woes over his behavior, including the alleged running of a gambling ring. Jontay Porter became the first active player to have been banned from the NBA in April 2024 and has faced a global ban from sport, more or less.