A former Kings employee has been barred from working in the NBA after an investigation showed he gambled while employed by the team.
The Kings in January fired Jack Mai, who was in his third season as the team's assistant director of scouting. His dismissal was not related to gambling.
In a statement released Wednesday, the Kings said they had been informed that Mai participated in "improper wagering activities" while working for the team. The Kings added that they cooperated with the league's investigation.
That the NBA responded in this manner is no surprise after gambling in the league became a major headline in recent years.
Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy was released from federal prison this month after serving 13 months of a 15-month sentence for conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting betting information through interstate commerce. Donaghy admitted to accepting thousands of dollars from a professional gambler for inside tips on games, including those he officiated.
Donaghy later tried to profit from his story in a tell-all book that alleged corruption amongst referees and league officials.
"The gambling thing, there's zero tolerance for anybody that works in the NBA," Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie said. "That's the bottom line on that. We were totally supportive of their decision."
Mai primarily assisted basketball vice president Wayne Cooper and scouting director Scotty Stirling in scouting college and international players. Mai's area of expertise was Asia.
Mai came to the Kings after spending a year and a half as head coach of Luckipar, a professional team in Taiwan. He was Luckipar's general manager for three years before taking over as coach.
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