Barkley: 'I'm Not Going to Gamble Anymore'

Charles Barkley's $400,000 gambling debt made a lot of waves last week, so it wasn't too surprising to see him address it on TNT's Inside the NBA before tonight's Game 7 between the Spurs and Hornets.

As you can see above, he's not only paid the debt but sworn off gambling as a whole for the foreseeable future. Said Barkley, "Just because I can afford to lose money, don't mean I should do it. ... It was a pain when it broke last week, but it's going to turn into a good thing. I'm not going to gamble anymore."

It's his money, and by all accounts all that he's ever lost has been part of his discretionary income, but $400K is $400K. I don't think anyone can argue that he's not making a wise decision. (via Awful Announcing, BallHype)

NBAs Gambling Connection

Retired NBA star Charles acknowledged a $400,000 gambling debt to a Las Vegas casino. "I am not going to gamble anymore." Barkley estimated in a 2006 interview with ESPN that he's lost nearly $10 million gambling over the years.

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Is gambling amongst players a problem in the NBA? According to Bobcats guard Derek Anderson, he has seen teammates lose up to $30,000 while playing poker during one-hour flights between cities. Details

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Former Pacers guard Travis Best also said he saw wagers swell to tens of thousands of dollars while playing with the 2000 Pacers. "Poker was a big thing; it brought us all together. I've seen some $40,000 pots." Details

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Perhaps the most famous dispute over gambling debts among NBA players involved Tyrone Hill, left, and Charles Oakley. Oakley slapped Hill before a preseason game, then threw a ball at his head a few months later before finally getting paid.

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Boston's Rajon Rondo recently wrote about his gambling debts on his blog: "I lost a lot of money a few days ago and I'm still kind of sick behind it. Well...I may still gamble, but I may not go overboard like I did...haha." Details

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While in Denver, former NBA player Dermarr Johnson talked about players using their daily per diem solely for gambling. "Man, we gamble away that money right away on the plane. We put it right into the gambling pot." Details

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Michael Jordan once made a gambling trip to Atlantic City the night before a 1993 playoff game against the Knicks. Later, in a 2005 CBS interview, he said: "I've gotten myself into situations where I would not walk away and I've pushed the envelope."

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Gambling among NBA players isn't limited to card games. Last season, DeShawn Stevenson lost $20,000 to Wizards teammate Gilbert Arenas during a shooting contest. Stevenson was making a fraction of Arenas' salary at the time. Watch video

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Gilbert Arenas infamously once tried to curb his gambling by walking into a Las Vegas casino with a huge roll of five-dollar bills. The wad of cash proved too large to count, however, so Arenas' plan was thwarted. Details

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Somewhat controversially, the NBA held the 2007 All-Star Game in Las Vegas, and the league still has ties to the city to this day (in the form of summer league) even after taking a P.R. hit when ex-referee Tim Donaghy was arrested for fixing games.

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