"People say, ‘I hope you die.’ They wish injury" - Knicks' Josh Hart opens up about chilling abuse directed by sports bettors

Josh Hart gave his take on the negative messages he receives from angry sports betting fans, detailing the threats he receives after Knicks games.

The growth of sports betting's popularity around the world. It has opened up new avenues through which fans can interact with the games they are watching. Putting money on a team to win or a player to rack up a certain number of states has brought a new level of excitement to the game. However, NBA players are often the target of blame when those bets fall short.

Josh Hart is halfway through his tenth season in the NBA and is a key piece of the New York Knicks' roster. His rebounding talent, along with the fact that he plays in one of the largest NBA cities in the country, results in many NBA fans betting on his performances each night. That also means that Hart is the subject of nasty messages and threats when he fails to exceed his lines in a game.

Speaking with James Edwards III, a writer for The Athletic in a recent interview, Josh Hart spoke about the threats he gets after every game he plays from angry sports bettors.

"I get everything," Hart said about the messages he gets. "People say 'I hope you die.' They wish injury. Racial stuff."

While NBA players receive negative messages centered around the sports betting industry, it isn't going anywhere. It has become a crucial part of the sports landscape over recent seasons, bringing in major amounts of money to the NBA and other sports leagues through their partnerships with companies like FanDuel and DraftKings.

What can the NBA do to protect players like Josh Hart from the ridicule they face from fans?

While asking players to not go onto social media in order to stay away from malicious messages is a potential solution, the NBA has acknowledged that putting that into practice is unrealistic. However, the league does have protocols in place that allow players like Josh Hart to report such incidents to the league, which then will decide whether or not to take action.

As the NBA continues to catch up to the ever-evolving sports betting landscape, their biggest concern is stopping their players from betting on the games themselves. Last season, the Toronto Raptors' Johntay Porter was banned by NBA commissioner Adam Silver for betting on games and Terry Rozier is currently under investigation for potentially throwing a game back in 2023.

Messages like these aren't going to go away anytime soon, but players like Josh Hart have accepted it as a part of being in the NBA. However, the league has promised to take steps to protect its players.