Jaren Jackson Jr. has become a popular pick for Defensive Player of the Year over the past several weeks. Before Saturday, he had become the favorite to win the award at every major sportsbook, with odds at some dipping below minus-200. When CBS Sports made our mid-season awards picks, seven of eight voters chose Jackson as the Defensive Player of the Year. Several other notable outlets followed suit.
And then, on Saturday morning, a lengthy post gained traction on Reddit. The thread, by user u/ADMassive6666, was titled “Memphis Grizzlies scorekeeper posting fraudulent numbers.” The post itself alleged that the scorekeeper working Grizzlies home games was artificially inflating Jackson’s block and steal numbers, which, in turn, fueled the momentum behind Jackson’s Defensive Player of the Year campaign.
Soon after, Caesars Sportsbook removed Defensive Player of the Year odds from the board. Other books left the odds up and saw a significant movement toward other candidates. According to The Athletic’s Fred Katz, the post “is making its way around the league now, not just the internet.”
The Grizzlies, for their part, have Jackson’s back. Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins called the criticism “foolish” following the team’s 112-100 win over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, “JJ is one of the best defensive players in the game. So glad to have him on our team.” Jackson finished that game with 28 points, eight rebounds and five blocks.
The NBA is no stranger to citizen journalism. The scandal that eventually cost former Philadelphia 76ers general manager Bryan Colangelo his job was initially uncovered by a Twitter user who directed The Ringer’s Ben Detrick to investigate further. But this is something new entirely. Fans frequently use social media to gripe about how players are treated, but as Katz reported, the league is at least monitoring this one, and for good reason. So let’s dive into one of the more bizarre controversies in recent NBA history and why such a seemingly minor difference in a few statistical columns could have enormous ramifications on the future of basketball.
So… what are the allegations here?
The central thesis of the post is that Jackson is being unfairly awarded extra blocks and steals by the Grizzlies’ scorekeeper when he plays at home. In 16 home games, Jackson has accumulated 66 blocks and 22 steals. In 17 road games, Jackson has blocked 37 shots…
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