Image via Complex Original
With the nation's two biggest sports in a lockout (c'mon Goodell & Co.!), athletes are coming up with creative ways to break the monotony. Some like planking, others bull riding. But one of the favorite baller pastimes is gambling. The excitement and competition attracts even the least likely of athletes (word to Paul Pierce). Today marks the final day of 2011 World Series of Poker and in light of the finale we're bringing you the biggest high rollers in the sports world. From Floyd Mayweather Jr. dropping $100,000 on a half of NBA basketball to John Daly losing $60 million at casinos throughout his career, here are the 10 Biggest Athlete Gamblers...
10. Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton
KNOWN FOR: Betting thousands on card games on the team jet and using guns to settle gambling debts.
COMPLEX SAYS: In December of 2009, Arenas and Crittenton argued on the team plane during a card game. Days later, the two Wizards guards reportedly drew unloaded guns on one another in the locker room of the Verizon center. Arenas later said this report wasn't true but anonymous sources, who were in the locker room, said Arenas laid out four unloaded guns in front of Crittenton's locker with a note that said "pick one." Crittenton then drew his own firearm and cocked it. Both Gilbert and Javaris were suspended for the remainder of the season. High stakes gambling? Guns being drawn? Seems like pretty standard actions in the well-documented crazy life of Agent 0.
9. Jaromir Jagr
KNOWN FOR: Owing $950,000 on Internet gambling debts.
COMPLEX SAYS: In 2003, SI reported that Jaromir Jagr owed $500,000 to the CaribSports gambling website based in Belize. Jagr also admitted to paying off $950,000 in online gambling debts but denied having a gambling problem. That same year, the IRS came after the right winger for over $3 million in unpaid taxes. Moral to this story: Don't fuck with Uncle Sam's or gambling creditors' loot. They will get you—and prolly repo your fur coat, too!
8. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
KNOWN FOR: Posting six-figure betting receipts on Twitter.
COMPLEX SAYS: While ducking Manny Pacquiao on his hiatuses from the ring, Mayweather has kept busy by hanging out with his homie 50 Cent, trying to dodge legal cases and baby mama drama, and making big bets in Vegas. Bets such as dropping $100,000 on the Orlando Magic taking the first half and putting up over a milli on NFL teams in a one-week span. Damn. Dude is kinda like the real-life version of WWE's Ted Dibiase, right?
7. Tiger Woods
KNOWN FOR: Playing blackjack at $25,000 a hand.
COMPLEX SAYS: After his multiple affairs got exposed in late 2009, another one of Tiger's vices came to light; gambling. He reportedly has a $1 million limit at the MGM Grand casino and is known for high stakes bets in games like blackjack. Putting up 25 racks a hand when your net worth is $600 million? No biggie. Reportedly going raw dog on jumpoffs (including some porn stars)? Yikes. We're not liking those odds.
6. Antoine Walker
KNOWN FOR: Squandering $100 million over his career and owing over $800,000 in gambling debts.
COMPLEX SAYS: Last year, Antoine Walker announced that he was one of the latest NBA ballers to go broke despite earning an estimated $110 million during his career. Walker admitted to spending a lot on his MC Hammer-esque entourage, cars, jewelry, mansions, and gambling with MJ. Though he says he "didn't bet what MJ bet," a friend of Walker's says he tried to get on Jordan's level and began gambling compulsively in the summer of 2001 when the two were training together. The GOAT gambling with a role player who's now playing in D-League? Mr. Shimmy trying to hang with the icon of the Jordan brand? SMH, stay in your lane, fam! #doingtoomuch
5. Pete Rose
KNOWN FOR: Betting on baseball while managing the Reds.
COMPLEX SAYS: Pete Rose has been banned from baseball since 1989 for placing bets on baseball while managing the the Reds in the '80s. After decades of denial, the all-time hits king finally admitted in 2004 to betting on baseball while managing but said he never bet against the Reds. This dude gets into the Hall before Clemens? Any takers?
4. The Black Sox
KNOWN FOR: Conspiring to fix the 1919 World Series.
COMPLEX SAYS: During the 1919 World Series, eight players from the Chicago White Sox threw games in order to assure the Cincinnati Reds the title. After a year of investigation, baseball officially banned the eight players including star outfielder "Shoeless" Joe Jackson from baseball for life in 1921. Side bar: We wonder what the over-under is for Ozzie Guillen ejections this year.
3. Michael Jordan
KNOWN FOR: Gambling millions on the golf course and at the poker table.
COMPLEX SAYS: It all started in '93 when MJ was seen gambling in Atlantic City the night before a playoff game against the Knicks. Then Richard Esquinas wrote Michael And Me where he claimed to have won over a million dollars from Jordan during bets while golfing. Since then, tales of His Airness dropping hundreds of thousands of dollars at poker tables with former ballers like Charles Barkley have only added to the legend. Considering dude is worth over half a billi, we have absolutely no problem with MJ gambling "compulsively." Soundtrack, please!
2. Charles Barkley
KNOWN FOR: Losing $10 million at casinos.
COMPLEX SAYS: Years ago Charles Barkley famously said, "I'm not a role model." Dude's play in the casinos has lived up to that quote, in an interview with ESPN, Barkley admitted to losing $10 million to gambling over the years including $2.5 million in six hours while playing blackjack. After being sued by the Wynn for $400,000 in unpaid gambling debts, Sir Charles vowed to ease up saying: "I've got to stop gambling...I am not going to gamble anymore. For right now, the next year or two, I'm not going to gamble." Two bills say he publicly roasts Bron Bron and the Heat again before the NBA lockout ends. We may be wrong, but we doubt it.
1. John Daly
KNOWN FOR: Losing $50-60 million at casinos.
COMPLEX SAYS: In his 2006 biography, My Life in and out of the Rough: The Truth Behind All that Bullshit You Think You Know About Me, Daly says he lost an estimated $50 to $60 million at casinos. He also revealed that he lost an estimated $1.5 million playing slot machines in Vegas in 2005. Over a milli lost on slot machines?! Stay classy, John Daly.