Russell Westbrook’s wife receives death threat emails
Following Sacramento Kings‘ loss to the Orlando Magic on Thursday night, Russell WestbrookHis wife, Nina Westbrook, revealed that received an email contains death threats, according to The Athletic’s Matt Moret. Nina posted screenshots of the email on her social media account on Friday, along with her belief that it stems from the growing gambling culture and negativity that surrounds her.
“The negative effects of sports betting brings out the worst in people smh,” Nina Westbrook wrote on her social media post. “Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. It’s something my husband and I consider routine. That said, I’m sharing this now because I’m increasingly concerned about athletes. I felt it was important to highlight the effects sports betting has on individuals and how it puts athletes and their families in potentially dangerous positions.”
The e-mail that was received was loaded and violent in nature.
Earlier this season, federal authorities announced indictments against former and current NBA players in connection with illegal gambling activities. Former NBA player Damon Jones and current Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were indicted on charges of distributing confidential betting information.
Current Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups was also arrested at the same time on charges of participating in illegal poker games.
When the allegations were first announced, the Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown cited a growing concern among NBA players regarding potential security and integrity issues amid the growth of the sports betting industry.
“That whole world was introduced a few years ago, and I don’t think they took into account the players — especially with the energy, the gambling behavior and how that directly correlates with the players,” Brown said. “We don’t benefit from any of the profits, but we have to deal with a lot of additional negativity and scrutiny behind all the gambling stuff. On top of that, it creates more integrity issues.”
2026-02-20 19:51:00
