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David Purdum, ESPN Staff Writer
The odds to win NBA Rookie of the Year have shuffled since the start of summer league, with the Memphis Grizzlies‘ Zach Edey now the consensus betting favorite at sportsbooks. But the most popular pick by bettors so far is a massive long shot with a famous last name.
More bets have been placed on Bronny James to win Rookie of the Year (ROY) than any other player at multiple sportsbooks. James has attracted nearly one in four of the bets placed on the ROY market at ESPN BET. BetMGM reported taking a $1,000 ROY bet on James at 250-1 on July 6, from a bettor in Ontario, and DraftKings said that only Edey had attracted more money wagered than James in its ROY market.
Four-figure bets on the Rookie of the Year in July are rare, and betting on any award is typically light 10 months before the winner is announced, but bookmakers are noticing an undeniable interest in the son of LeBron James from bettors. The amount wagered on BetMGM’s ROY market is double what it was compared to last year’s market at this time.
Bronny James also attracted unexpected interest from bettors to be the No. 1 overall pick, and the attention has continued during summer league. The SuperBook in Las Vegas is offering prop bets on only one player in summer league — Bronny James. Jeff Sherman, vice president of risk and lead NBA oddsmaker for the SuperBook, said the interest on Bronny James’ props has been “solid” and that betting overall on summer league is increasing.
“We are doing more handle [on summer league] than in previous years, most notably in live wagering,” Sherman told ESPN in a text message.
Bronny James, who was taken in the second round by the Los Angeles Lakers, is averaging 7.3 points with a plus/minus of minus-14 in summer league.
Alexandre Sarr of the Washington Wizards‘ opened as the consensus favorite for Rookie of the Year but has been surpassed by Edey (+550) and Reed Sheppard of the Houston Rockets (+650) at ESPN BET. Sarr now has the fifth-best odds at ESPN BET at +900.
The NBA summer league championship game is Monday.