“I’m just helping them make money…” Tyrese Haliburton has a conflicting take on sports betting consuming social media in contemporary NBA

Tyrese Haliburton opens up on his poor form and his issues with betting companies.

“I’m just helping them make money…” Tyrese Haliburton has a conflicting take on sports betting consuming social media in contemporary NBA

Tyrese Haliburton

Tyrese Haliburton was a revelation at the beginning of the season but has found it difficult towards the closing stages of the regular season. The Indiana Pacers’ point guard recently shared how he has been coping with the mental stress that comes with struggling for form as a professional athlete, as well as the menace of sports betting.

He is currently in his fourth NBA season and third with Indiana, where he is averaging 20.4 points and 11.3 assists per game. However, this hasn’t been the case of late as like every human tends to have good days and bad days.

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Betting has become rampant, especially with the league giving it maximum publicity and earning off its sponsorships. According to Haliburton, these companies and their users don’t care about the athletes’ mental health. He said while speaking with James Boyd of the Athletic:

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To half the world, I’m helping them make money on DraftKings or whatever. Like, I’m a prop, you know what I mean? Like, that’s what my social media mostly consists of. [So], I think it’s important to have someone to talk to.
Tyrese Haliburton told James Boyd

Haliburton was a star for the East during the All-Star break; however, he has lost his Midas touch since then, as in his last 12 games, he has managed 15 PPG while shooting a miserable 19% from beyond the arc and 40% from inside the paint. It is a considerable drop for a player who hit at least 40% from the three-point mark in his first three seasons. Disappointingly, this has upset bettors who feel his slump is costing them from making money. And he has found relief in meeting with sports psychologists.

Tyrese Haliburton promises to recover from late-season slump

Tyrese Haliburton was honest when he acknowledged that he was not the player he used to be when the season began. He said this after his team’s 108-103 loss on Monday against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Against the Cavs, he struggled throughout and ended the game with 14 points from 4/14 (28.6%) and 1/9 (11.1%) from beyond the arc. 

However, he promised to end his poor form amidst the criticism from gamblers. He shared that this is his first case as he’s never experienced struggling for so long. Haliburton stated:

When I play better, we win, so I'm just trying to figure it out right now. Obviously, it's frustrating. I never went through a slump like this in my life, but it's all part of it, figuring it out.
Tyrese Haliburton said

The Indiana Pacers find themselves 7th on the Eastern Conference standings with a 38-31 record. They have been hoping to dislodge the Philadelphia 76ers, who desperately miss the services of injured star player Joel Embiid. They’d hope that their star point guard rediscovers his form soon rather than later if they’re to make it further and compete during the postseason.  

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