Wembanyama rejects betting sponsorship as NBA stars embrace it
The San Antonio Spurs centre says he will never partner with a sportsbook, breaking from NBA peers who have taken deals with betting and prediction-market firms.
Victor Wembanyama has ruled out ever signing a sponsorship deal with a sports betting company, setting himself apart from a growing number of NBA stars who have taken such partnerships, according to Guardian gambling.
Asked at the San Antonio Spurs' practice on Thursday by San Antonio Express-News columnist Mike Finger whether he would consider a betting-firm partnership, the 22-year-old replied, "Absolutely not."
He went further, saying: "I will never do that. Honestly, I think it's very sad to see some players promote it. Everybody does whatever they want, but without me."
The remarks come as the NBA's own relationship with the betting industry has deepened. The league carries advertising for both FanDuel and DraftKings and displays betting odds during broadcasts, Guardian gambling notes.
Until it shut down a few months ago, FanDuel Sports Network had exclusively streamed a number of NBA games, underlining how closely betting operators have become woven into how fans watch the sport.
Wembanyama's stance contrasts with several of the league's biggest names. LeBron James has become the face of the prediction-market platform Polymarket, appearing in advertising that has drawn wide attention.
Kevin Durant reads out FanDuel odds and has invested in the prediction-market operator Kalshi, while Giannis Antetokounmpo holds a shareholding stake in Kalshi, according to the report.
Those arrangements sit within a broader trend of NBA players and the league itself monetising their proximity to betting and prediction markets, from broadcast odds integrations to equity stakes and endorsement deals.
Wembanyama's refusal, delivered plainly and without qualification, marks a rare instance of a top-tier NBA player publicly declining to take part in that trend rather than simply abstaining quietly.