Former 76ers owner and Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin had some fun at the expense of the Knicks and the bettors.
“Fanatics Sportsbook crushed it yesterday thanks to all the Knicks fans betting against the Sixers – that made me so happy!! Just wanted to say thank you to all the Knicks fans,” Rubin, who also runs Fanatics Sportsbook, wrote in a now-deleted post on X.
The trolling came after the 76ers rallied for a 112-106 overtime victory thanks to Tyrese Maxey’s 46-point outing that pushed the series to a sixth game.
A Fanatics Sportsbook spokesperson told the Post that 63.5 percent of the handle was on the Knicks -3.5, with almost no one betting on the underdog 76ers on the moneyline.
An obscene 92.1 percent of the handle was on the Knicks’ moneyline price, around -150, likely the reason for such celebration on Rubin’s part.
Fanatics were far from alone in this Knicks optimism, as other sportsbooks saw similarly massive liabilities on the Knicks facing the spread on Tuesday.
PariMGM reported that 79 percent of the money was on the Knicks -3.5, while DraftKings told the Post that the Knicks were their biggest liability among all NBA teams for Tuesday’s slate.
Rubin, who was present during the Knicks’ Game 5 collapse at The Garden, sold his 10% stake in the 76ers in 2022 in order to move more into the sports betting business as a sort of separation between the Church and State.
At the time, Rubin said he was going from owner “to fan for life.”
Some would call Wednesday’s post in poor taste — on the face of it, he’s a sportsbook owner mocking the loss of bettors — but Rubin is also a rabid 76ers fan.
He did not delete his response to a user wondering why he would rejoice in punters’ losses.
“Only because it was against my team!” »😂, » Rubin posted on X.
Knicks fans roasted Joel Embiid throughout the series, serenading “the most hated man in New York” with chants of “Fk Embiid.”
Meanwhile, game five villain Maxey was brought down by Tracy Morgan after an incredible equalizer in the fourth quarter.
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It’s where the Knicks’ optimism starts that things get interesting. They opened as three-point underdogs against the Fanatics for Thursday’s Game 6 in Philadelphia.
The Knicks are +125 on the moneyline to close the series on the road.
New York Post
