Johnny Manziel Keeps It Real About NBA Gambling Addiction During Wild Days In Cleveland

Damn, Johnny Manziel was a wild boy.

The college football legend has no problem speaking about his struggle with vices during and after his career in football. As we know, the guy was a massive partier, but now Manziel is putting a spotlight on another vice that he was dealing with: NBA gambling. Something that he says he was addicted to.

Speaking with Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. on his “Glory Daze” podcast, Manziel brought up the time he was with the Cleveland Browns, and then, he revealed that he was addicted to gambling on NBA games, placing wager after wager, so much so that he couldn’t wait to get done with his football responsibilities to do it. (RELATED: ‘Holy Grail’ Michael Jordan-Kobe Bryant Card Sells For Record-Breaking $12.9 Million)

Porter Jr. saw his brother, Jontay, get permanently banned from the NBA after it was discovered that he bet on games.

“I was addicted to the NBA. It was the years of, like, Bron coming back to Cleveland, Melo still really good, Kobe, the Christmas games were, like, amazing,” said Manziel. “For me, I was so tapped in and hooked on weekly basketball, to get home from a practice and turn a game on at 7 or 8 o’clock at night. I was f*cking gambling, I was f*cking ripping NBA games every single day, tapped into it — loved it, bro.

“After I get cut in Cleveland, I learn about casino credit and like getting a wire, walking to the table, and getting 100k out …I remember like, forgetting about it and going on another trip and going on run, and getting a call like ‘yo, you have 24 hours to pay this marker off or people in Las Vegas are going to send a felony conviction out for your ass.”

WATCH:

𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: Former star NFL QB Johnny Manziel says he was addicted to gambling on NBA games…

“I was addicted to betting on the NBA…I was f**king gambling. I loved it.”

Manziel could’ve been one of the all-time greats. pic.twitter.com/Zu5dpzlC02

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 24, 2025

Imagine blowing 100k in a night and not even remembering it the next morning … hot damn!