Maverick Carter, LeBron James’ business partner, used illegal bookmaker to bet on NBA: Sources

Hall of Fame basketball star Scottie Pippen, former Major League Baseball All-Star Yasiel Puig and LeBron James’ business partner Maverick Carter were all clients of a bookie who has pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from an illegal gambling operation, four people familiar with the case confirmed to The Athletic on Thursday.

The bookie, Wayne Nix, pleaded guilty to participating in a large off-shore betting ring. Puig is charged with lying to investigators in the Nix case, and is scheduled for trial in January. Pippen and Carter, LeBron James’ childhood friend and partner who oversees day-to-day operations of James’ sprawling business portfolio, were also interviewed in the case, two of the people confirmed.

Pippen and Carter were accused, according to court filings reviewed by The Athletic, of providing false statements to investigators, but were allowed to clarify those statements and were not charged.

The Washington Post first reported that Carter and Pippen were interviewed in the Nix case. While neither man is identified by name in filings for either of the federal government’s cases against Nix or Puig, court documents refer to a “prominent Black athlete” and “the Black manager of a prominent Black athlete.” Two of the people familiar with the case confirmed to The Athletic that Pippen and Carter were the men referred to in the court filings. Those people declined to be named or to provide further comment, citing a protective order by the court.

Adam Mendelsohn, a spokesman for Carter and for James, told The Athletic in a statement: “In 2021 and before 38 states and the District of Columbia legalized sports betting, Maverick Carter was interviewed a single time by federal law enforcement regarding their investigation into Wayne Nix. Mr. Carter was not the target of the investigation, cooperated, was never charged, and never contacted again on the matter.”

James said he had no prior knowledge of Carter telling federal agents that he used an illegal bookie to gamble on NBA and NFL games in a 2021 hearing.

“No. I just found out about it,” James said when asked if he was aware of Carter’s conversations with investigators after the Lakers’ 133-110 loss to the Thunder in Oklahoma City on Thursday. “I just found out about it, actually, in the last 24 hours.”

When asked again if he knew an investigation had taken place, James repeated, “I just found out about it in the last 24 hours.”

James dismissed the notion of being concerned about the perception of the situation given his close ties to Carter.

“No. Because that’s the only reason it got any legs in the first place, because he’s so close to me,” James said. “But Maverick’s his own man and at the end of the day, gambling is legal. I mean, you can go on your phone right now and do whatever you want. And he has no affiliation with the NBA or NFL, so, he can do what he wants to do.”

Carter, 42, who like James is originally from Akron, Ohio, and now lives in the Los Angeles area, said in his 2021 interview that he placed approximately 20 bets on football and basketball games with Nix, ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 per wager, according to the Washington Post’s report.

According to a separate court filing reviewed by The Athletic, Nix’ co-conspirator in the gambling ring texted an unnamed business manager for an NBA player that he would increase the maximum amount the business manager could wager on NBA games to $25,000.

The NBA, which has embraced sports betting and struck multiple business deals with gambling companies, and the players’ union prohibit players, team and league officials, and player agents from betting on league games. Carter, who managed James’ lifetime contract with Nike and oversees daily operations for LeBron’s media company, is not affiliated with any team.

In his interview with federal investigators, Carter said he didn’t remember placing any bets on Lakers games, according to the Post. James has played for Los Angeles since 2018.

Pippen has been retired from the NBA since 2004 and Puig last played in the majors in 2019.

Attorneys for Nix, Puig, and federal prosecutors in Los Angeles declined comment.

However, the assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles handling both cases, Jeff Mitchell, on Wednesday filed a motion for a tighter protective order for discovery materials in the Puig case, to further limit materials that could be used to identify witnesses or people otherwise not charged with a crime. The motion, which was granted by the court, was filed after Mitchell received an email seeking comment from the Washington Post about Carter, Pippen, and Puig, a court filing shows.

Puig, an All-Star with the Dodgers in 2014, was playing baseball professionally in South Korea when he was charged for lying to investigators in August of 2022.