LeBron James Joining Prediction Market Polymarket Draws Sharp Reactions on Social Media – “Selling Out as a Billionaire is Insane”

LeBron James joins a growing list of athletes who have partnered with or invested in prediction markets.

LeBron James Joining Prediction Market Polymarket Draws Sharp Reactions on Social Media – “Selling Out as a Billionaire is Insane”

LeBron James (Image credits - NBA)

LeBron James is embarking on a new journey at this stage of his career. Coming off a record-breaking 23rd season in the NBA, James joined the Philadelphia 76ers after spending eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.

No player has carried the league on his shoulders like James. He entered the league as the number one pick in the 2003 NBA draft. Since then, James has held the keys to the NBA and established himself as one of the greatest players of all time.

Before his move to Philly, the attention and noise around James were a fixture on prediction markets this summer. Now, James could benefit from the boom of those platforms.

The King is set to partner with prediction market platform Polymarket. This follows the end of his endorsement deal with gambling operator DraftKings earlier this year.

He shared a short video on his social media announcing the partnership. The video showed James walking through Polymarket’s fictional headquarters and its “sports” floor. It featured several other big names such as Eli Manning, Derek Jeter, Spike Lee, Sue Bird, Emily Ratajkowski, John Leguizamo, and a few other celebrities.

Over the last few years, more athletes have partnered with or invested in prediction markets. Earlier this year, Giannis Antetokounmpo had invested in Kalshi, which is a prediction market as well. The NBA doesn’t specifically prohibit players from endorsing prediction markets.

James has been very successful off the court as well with all his business ventures and investments. The nature of the partnership with Polymarket remains unclear. Polymarket has not revealed any further details.

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NBA fans react to LeBron James partnering with Polymarket

Prediction markets often draw comparisons to traditional gambling. The NBA has been severely affected by gambling allegations over the past few years. However, Polymarket and other prediction markets argue they are distinct from traditional sports gambling platforms.

Following the partnership announcement between James and Polymarket, fans took to social media to react to it.

The video drew sharp reactions from fans across social media. They raised ethical questions about whether an active athlete should promote and benefit from such platforms. Many of them called James a “sellout” after his latest partnership.

Polymarket responds to LeBron James’ announcement post

LeBron James attracts attention no matter what he does. The 60-second video gained millions of views in a few hours. Polymarket bills itself as the world’s largest prediction market. The platform allows people to trade on the outcomes of future events. James dominated the prediction market when he was a free agent in the summer.

LeBron James
LeBron James (Image credits – Fox Sports)

While James’ role is still not known, Polymarket responded to his post on X.

Thanks for swinging by our HQ.

Polymarket on X

With the number of professional athletes partnering with prediction markets growing, it seems to be a growing trend at the moment. Prior to Polymarket, James had an endorsement deal with the sports betting platform DraftKings, which promotes wagers during the football season.

His previous deal with DraftKings also surprised many. A few years before, James took a much different stance on sports gambling. He believed fans cared more about their parlays than the actual game.

There have been a few instances where fans confronted NBA players over missed parlays. But it appears that the four-time champion may have a different stance now.

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