NBA All-Star says fans have been more harsh amid rise of sports betting: ‘To half the world … I’m a prop’

Within the last six years, 37 states and Washington, D.C., have legalized some form of sports betting, with plenty of those states letting people do it right from their pocket.

The number of sports wagers placed today was unimaginable even half a decade ago, and the options are endless.

Of course, spreads and totals remain the most popular, but there’s now pretty much a bet for everything, including those based on a lone player’s performance.

“Player props” have led to heightened social media hatred, says one NBA All-Star.

“To half the world, I’m just helping them make money on DraftKings or whatever. I’m a prop” Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton said earlier this week. “That’s what my social media mostly consists of.”

In a form of comedic irony, Haliburton said he doesn’t “give a f—“ when someone tells him they lost sizable funds because of his performance.

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But with the harsh words both on social media and in person, Haliburton says he’s been seeing a sports psychologist for “the last couple years.”

“It’s been good. I mean, even when I’m not [struggling], I think there has to be conversations at other times, too, because it’s obvious that what happens on the court is happens on the court…” he said, “It’s important, I think, for us as basketball players, as men, to get those things out because not everybody cares to hear how we feel…

“I think it’s important for us to have somebody to talk to… I do think that it’s important for us to just have conversations with people who really value who we are as human beings.”

North Carolina legalized sports wagering last week.

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