Giannis Antetokounmpo invests in prediction market Kalshi, netizens question conflict of interest

This season, NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is deeply involved in trade rumors, recently announced on his personal Twitter that he has joined the prediction market Kalshi as a shareholder. This event, involving the two-time MVP investing in a prediction market, has sparked quite a stir on Twitter. Netizens are questioning whether there is a conflict of interest when active athletes invest in prediction markets that offer betting on games.

Giannis Antetokounmpo joins prediction market Kalshi

Giannis Antetokounmpo stated on Twitter: “There are plenty of opinions online, so I decided to create some of my own. Today, I joined Kalshi as a shareholder. We are all on Kalshi now.” As of now, the post has received over 9,500 likes, nearly 3,000 replies, and more than 13 million views.

Despite being caught in a storm of trade rumors this season, Giannis remains one of the most influential superstars in the league, thanks to his impressive career achievements. The Greek forward has won the Most Valuable Player award twice (2019, 2020) and also secured the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2020, making him one of the few players to have both MVP and DPOY titles.

In 2021, he led the Bucks to an NBA Championship and was named Finals MVP, cementing his status as a legendary player. Throughout his career, he has been selected multiple times to the All-NBA and All-Defensive teams, and he consistently participates in the All-Star Game, building an almost impeccable record on both offense and defense. However, the Bucks’ poor performance this season and ongoing trade rumors involving Giannis—linked to teams like the Heat, Timberwolves, Knicks, and Warriors—have kept the speculation alive.

Avoiding conflicts of interest: Giannis cannot trade in NBA-related markets

In the comment section, opinions are polarized, but negative comments are more prevalent. Many question the appropriateness of professional athletes engaging in betting or prediction markets, fearing potential conflicts of interest and insider trading. @BaoZiDaDa010 commented, “Professional athletes becoming shareholders in betting sites should be illegal. Adam Silver has ruined the NBA.”

Another user sarcastically said, “Giannis, I’m proud of you. You run and dunk for $58 million a year, so of course you need to make money elsewhere. Making money through betting sites is great because the money comes from ordinary people beaten by insider trading!” Some also questioned, “Players collaborating with prediction market companies? Isn’t that a conflict of interest?”

Especially given Giannis’s involvement in trade rumors this season, one comment read, “It’s crazy that when you collaborate with Kalshi, your own trading probabilities can be bet on.”

Since Antetokounmpo is still an active player, Kalshi has explicitly stated that he is not allowed to participate in any NBA-related prediction market trading to avoid concerns over insider information or market manipulation.

This article about Giannis Antetokounmpo investing in the prediction market Kalshi and netizens questioning conflicts of interest was first published by Chain News ABMedia.