Larry Nance, Jr. saw his entire NBA career flash before his eyes Friday night.
After the New Orleans Pelicans won their elimination Western Conference Play-In Game against the Sacramento Kings, it meant the No. 8 seeded team had a date with the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
At the postgame presser, Nance Jr. was asked what it felt like to be playing the No. 1 seed in the conference. While his choice of words probably would have gone unnoticed just a few years ago, he used a specific phrase that he would come to immediately regret given recent events.
“Respectfully, I’m just … I’m betting on the Pels,” Nance said before almost immediately backtracking and clarifying, much to the delight of the reporters in the room.
Larry Nance: Respectfully, I’m bettin on the Pels. I’m not BETTING, no Jontay Porter. I’m not BETTING. I’m not betting on anything. I don’t own a betting app, none of that. pic.twitter.com/0HgTbyXOHr
— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) April 20, 2024
“I’m not betting. No Jontay Porter. I’m not betting. I’m not betting on anything. I don’t own a betting app, none of that!” Nance said emphatically.
Obviously, Nance didn’t mean to imply he was literally placing a bet on the Pelicans to beat the Thunder. But given the fact that Jontay Porter just received a lifetime ban for betting on NBA games, it is a very precarious time for NBA players and gambling (a position the NBA itself has put them in).
Game 1 between the Thunder and Pelicans tips off at 9:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, so get your bets in before then. Unless you’re Larry Nance, Jr., of course.
