McCants Weighs in on NBA Gambling Scandal, Young Talent Standing Out, and Ja Morant’s Fate
Rashad McCants witnessed two sets of fireworks go off – one from two weeks earlier.
The more recent one? Fans firing off the pyrotechnic device near his Los Angeles region home…as he watched Dodgers fans flood the streets in celebration. McCants welcomed the cheers, though, as he joined millions in watching the pulsating Game 7 against the Toronto Blue Jays.
But what were the other fireworks he saw go off? The ones involving the NBA and its high-profile gambling scandal. McCants didn’t mince words about the aftermath and fallout of the controversial news, touching base on that topic and dipping into other roundball-related angles in a one-on-one conversation with R.org.
Was NBA gambling investigation long overdue?
McCants immediately believes this distraction will linger throughout the season. But adds this has been a “long, long time coming” in discussing the matter.
“I think this type of truth needs to be revealed,” McCants told R.org. “The people who spent their deserved money only to be lied to any further, I think the truth needs to come out on what’s really going on behind the doors. And that there’s a lot more people involved and a lot more higher ups involved.”
An FBI investigation busted Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier as two high-profile names linked to rigged poker games. Former player and NBA assistant coach Damon Jones was another named in the case. Billups and Rozier were placed on leave by their teams. Jones pleaded not guilty as of Thursday.
“Everyone seems to think this type of scandal doesn’t happen with a lot of people, and a lot of hands are on deck. It’s going to become normalized if people don’t really act on trying to create a change,” McCants said.
He then dropped a term for this scandal.
“I would call it a systemized audit – trying to figure out who the players are and try to change the players and really give some types of ethics,” McCants said. “You got coaches who are compromising, a commissioner who’s compromising, and owners who are compromising…I mean around the board, all the players are compromised, even the agents.”
McCants added: “So at this point, it’s the overhaul of trying to figure out alright, what type of oversight do we want and how compromised are we going to allow this game to be?”
This issue has become a wide-ranging topic across the league and sports world. McCants has dived into the investigation often on his platform with “Gil’s Arena” alongside Gilbert Arenas.
Edgecombe Standing Out
Outside of the scandal, the league has witnessed a new breed of talent take shape – including those impressing the former basketball player.
“There’s VJ Edgecombe in Philadelphia who is definitely going to be a forced to be reckoned with,” McCants began. “I think Stephon Castle is going to be a force to be reckoned with [for the San Antonio Spurs] and Amen Thompson too [of the Houston Rockets]. Jeremiah Fears down in New Orleans, he’s going to be a force. A lot of the young guys got a lot of great game that’s showing a lot of great promise.”
Edgecombe is one McCants has especially taken a liking to.
“I feel like any player who plays on both sides of the ball is going to be impactful because their pride level is different. I think when you really carry yourself to hone in on the defensive end and really care about it, it gives you a whole different mentality,” McCants said. “And we always talk about the Mamba Mentality – being able to dominate on both sides of the ball. I think that the Victor Wembayama’s, the Stephon Castle’s, the VJ’s …guys who really show up and care about winning because it takes both sides.”
On Ja Morant’s future
Meanwhile, one past face of the league is falling out of favor at his current post.
Now, McCants believes Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies will eventually sever ties.
“There’s definitely a trade happening in the future,” McCants predicts. “I think his behavior recently is going to be one where the organization is going to have to put their foot down on or ease up on him…and I don’t see it being eased up.”
Morant has shown a clear lack of connection between himself and his team. McCants, though, called out his behavior.
“This is a man’s league, and it’s always been a man’s league,” McCants said. “I think that they want to continue to give coaches some type of power when it comes to coaching players. And spoiling the players is not going to be the answer. I think he’s been pretty much spoiled for a long time and being able to do what he wants.”
Yet McCants outlined a big flaw he’s noticing between the relationship of coach and player that’s taken shape in today’s NBA.
“At any point you see push back from the coaches, those coaches get fired,” McCants said when it comes to handling big personalities like Morant. “Old school coaching, holding your players accountable and seeing how they react to that is the biggest detriment because you have the Gregg Popovich’s, the Phil Jackson’s, you got Pat Riley, you had guys who hold guys accountable and were successful at doing that.”
McCants embracing Dodgers title as L.A. resident
Again, McCants has gone from North Carolina to settling in Southern California. This now includes surrounding himself with Dodgers fans.
More reason he felt unbothered by the fireworks going off.
“It was a great time to be not only a baseball fan but a sports fan to see that game go the way it went,” McCants said of the epic Game 7. “Hats off to Toronto because they played phenomenal in all of the playoffs. But I think the Drake curse is just going to haunt them, unfortunately.”
McCants is referencing Blue Jays superfan and Hip-Hop/R&B star Drake, who’s now blasted for “cursing” teams with his fandom. Drake sparked intrigue with the World Series by posting a past photo of himself and an ex-soulmate having dinner in front of the Dodgers’ dugout.
Drake also became embroiled in a highly publicized feud with Super Bowl LIX halftime performer Kendrick Lamar – who even has a song called “Dodger Blue” from 2024. Even McCants warned Blue Jays fans on his social platforms that Drake could cost Toronto the WS.
“All he needs to do is apologize to Kendrick, and it’ll be okay,” McCants advised to Drake.
Yet McCants also jokingly learned that Drake’s acronym now stands for “Don’t Rap Against Kendrick Ever,” drawing laughs from the ex-NBA player.
The verbose McCants continues to build his brand on the podcast front with Arenas. He now refers to himself as @SoundbiteKing on his X account. He’s become a new vocal force in the era of new media for past and current professional athletes. And he’s shown to become unafraid to touch on big sports topics – including the one rocking the league he played in.