In his 1979 memoir Second Wind, Bill Russell acknowledges one occasion during his NBA days when he was approached by a “big-time gambler” about influencing the outcome of a ballgame. Bill’s response was to point out that, given his income and future earning potential, he couldn’t even consider taking such a risk for less than nine or 10 million per game. Russ went on to expound thusly on the topic:
I’ve always thought the most likely target of gamblers would be the referees. They make peanuts, they’re highly abused by both the fans and players, and they have more control over a game than anyone else.