Giannis Antetokounmpo, the NBA superstar embroiled in trade controversies this season, recently announced on his personal Twitter account that he has become a shareholder in the prediction market Kalshi. The two-time MVP's investment in a prediction market has sparked considerable discussion on Twitter. Many netizens are questioning whether a current athlete's investment in a prediction market that provides betting on sports games constitutes a conflict of interest.
Giannis Antetokounmpo invests in prediction market Kalshi
Giannis Antetokounmpo tweeted : "The internet is full of opinions, so I decided to make some of my own. Today, I joined Kalshi as a shareholder. We are now all on Kalshi." The post has so far received over 9,500 likes, nearly 3,000 replies, and over 13 million views.
Despite being embroiled in trade rumors this season, Giannis Antetokounmpo remains one of the league's most significant superstars, thanks to his dazzling career achievements. The Greek forward has won the Most Valuable Player award twice (2019, 2020) and also took home the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2020, becoming one of the few players to have won both the MVP and DPOY awards simultaneously.
In 2021, he led the Bucks to the NBA championship and won the Finals MVP, officially joining the ranks of all-time greats. Throughout his career, he has been selected to the All-NBA First Team and the All-Defensive First Team multiple times, and has consistently appeared in the All-Star Game, accumulating an almost impeccable resume on both ends of the court. However, the Bucks' poor performance this season has led to continuous trade rumors surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo, with several teams, including the Heat, Timberwolves, Knicks, and Warriors, reportedly making trade proposals to the Bucks in exchange for Giannis.
To avoid conflicts of interest: Giannis Antetokounmpo cannot be traded in NBA-related markets.
In the comments section, opinions were polarized, with negative reviews clearly dominating. Many questioned the appropriateness of professional athletes being involved in betting or prediction market platforms, worrying that it could lead to conflicts of interest and insider trading. @BaoZiDaDa010 stated, "It should be illegal for professional athletes to become shareholders of betting websites. Adam Silver ruined the NBA."
Another sarcastically remarked, "Giannis, I'm proud of you. You only make $58 million a year running dunks, of course you have to make money elsewhere. Making money through betting websites is great because the money comes from ordinary people being beaten by inside trades!" Another user questioned, "Players partnering with prediction market companies? Isn't there a conflict of interest?"
Especially with Giannis Antetokounmpo embroiled in trade controversies this season, one comment criticized: "When you're working with Kalshi, your own trade odds are being bet on, it's insane."
Since Antetokounmpo is still an active player, Kalshi has explicitly stipulated that he cannot participate in any NBA-related prediction market transactions to avoid concerns about insider information or market manipulation.
The article, which discusses Giannis Antetokounmpo's investment in the prediction market Kalshi and raises questions about a conflict of interest, first appeared on ABMedia, a ABMedia .
