Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
The internet had a field day after Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier were arrested in connection to a gambling sting on Thursday, and Kevin Love was one of the many people who chimed in with a post. However, he decided to take down an objectively funny video he threw up on Instagram after getting a talking-to from Damian Lillard.
On Thursday, the NBA had to reset its “Days Since Someone In The League Has Sparked A Gambling Scandal” back to zero after an FBI investigation led to the arrest of Heat guard Terry Rozier and Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups.
We had already learned that Rozier had attracted the attention of authorities over suspicious betting patterns at the start of the year, and while some people in the know were previously aware that Billups had allegedly found himself involved with some shady poker games, his supposed role in rigged events run by the mob came as a bit of a shock to most people.
That development predictably spawned plenty of jokes and memes concerning the predicament the two men found themselves facing, and one of the league’s most notorious posters decided to contribute before having second thoughts.
Kevin Love deleted a video of Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier as the viral Coldplay couple after Damian Lillard voiced his displeasure
Kevin Love is firmly in the twilight of a career that is now in its 18th season, and the 37-year-old big man, who is now with the Jazz after spending three years with the Heat, has embraced his role as a benchwarmer while turning his attention to a new passion: posting.
Love garnered plenty of attention for the photos and videos that appeared on his Instagram as Jimmy Butler was trying to force his way out of Miami last season, and his account features plenty of fairly innocuous pictures of himself and his family sprinkled with what most internet veterans would refer to as a “s—tpost.”
He chimed in when the news of an investigation concerning Rozier surfaced in January, and it was not a huge surprise to see him react when he and Billups were arrested—which he did by posting a picture where their faces were superimposed over the couple that was caught having an affair at a Coldplay concert as Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler” plays in the background.
Most people seem to appreciate what I would argue is an objectively funny joke (you can watch the entire thing here), but there was one very notable exception: Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard, who didn’t mince words while voicing his displeasure in the comments.
It appears the two men had a private conversation after the comment came to Love’s attention, as he took down the post before hopping on his story to explain his rationale.
I understand and respect that decision, but I do wish he had stuck to his guns.