Photo: Timothy Nwachukwu
Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal addressed an incident with a gambling heckler who claimed Beal lost him money, which led to a police investigation, for the first time publicly during his team's exit interview on Monday (April 10).
"Nobody wants to lose money. I get it. If you keep it about sports, I'm all for it," Beal said via ESPN. "But I think it's when people start getting personal, talking about your family, talking about your character, your integrity towards the game. I think all of that, we can save it. We can really keep those comments to ourselves."
An Orlando Police Department complaint obtained by TMZ Sports from March 22 accused Beal, 29, of being involved in a confrontation with two fans after the Wizards' 122-112 loss to the Orlando Magic at Amway Center.
A fan reportedly yelled, "You f****d me [out of] $1,300, you f***," at Beal as he was walking through a tunnel to the Wizards' locker room. The guard was reported to have turned around, walked toward the two hecklers and knocked the hat off of one individual's head, according to the complaint.
Beal reportedly went back and forth with the two hecklers, referring to the interaction as "disrespectful."
"Keep it a buck," Beal said, according to the complaint. "I don't give a f*** about none of your bets or your parlays, bro. That ain't why I play the game."
The heated exchange continued for about 50 seconds until Beal was ushered to the locker room without an additional incident taking place.
Beal said he's noticed a significant increase in nastiness among spectators with more states legalizing sports betting in recent years while addressing the incident on Monday.
"I understand. I go to casinos, I gamble, I understand that. But I also understand it's probably a 99% chance I'm going to lose," Beal added. "I'm not sitting here about to get angry at the dealer or angry at everybody else," Beal added via ESPN.
Beal also addressed his future in Washington amid the team's struggles during the 2022-23 season.
"If I wanted to leave, you guys would definitely hear and know that Beal wants to leave," Beal said via ESPN.
The three-time All-Star averaged 23.2 points, 5.4 assists, and 3.9 points per game, while the Wizards finished the 2022-23 season with a 35-47 record, ranking 12th among 15 Eastern Conference teams.
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