Insane Gambling Story: Three Buddies Clean Up Over $375k on NBA First Basket Parlay

Three buddies in Pennsylvania are celebrating today after an insane NBA First Basket parlay from Wednesday night’s slate hit for a combined total of more than $375,000 from just a $1.50 outlay.

Abdul Murphy Jr from East Stroudsburg, PA, says it was after a text exchange with his uncle, who lives in New York and recently began online gambling this past weekend after the state went live, that provided inspiration for the +26056700 (260,567/1) parlay that cashed with FanDuel Sportsbook.

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“My uncle just got FanDuel [Sportsbook] and he sent me something for $2 to win $20,000. I just followed the style of his bet and re-created it,” Murphy Jr. told Dimers.com

The bet, which totalled six players to score the first basket of each game across the 9-game NBA slate.

The players? Gordon Hayward (Hornets vs. Sixers), Evan Fournier (Knicks vs. Mavericks), Bogdan Boganovich (Hawks vs. Heat), Christian wood (Rockets vs. Spurs), Lauri Markkanen (Cavaliers vs. Jazz), and finally, LeBron James (Lakers vs. Kings).

When asked how he settled on the combination of first basket getters, the bettors who describes himself as only a “$5-10 bettor usually” explained that looking at the matchups with COVID still playing a large role in player rotations was key.

“I could just see each player getting the first basket,” he said.

But the young father of two wasn’t the only one to hit the gigantic windfall on Wednesday night, as Murphy texted two buddies the slip before the opening tip, making it three players in total to experience a life changing night.

“I sent it to my guys because I sometimes hit parlays here and there… they usually tail if they like it.”

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The huge win wasn’t without its drama, however. With the first five legs marked green shortly after 9:15pm EST, a nervous wait ensued for the 10pm EST tip-off in Northern California between the Lakers and Kings.

“I was crazy nervous."

“[A while ago] I literally bought LeBron Media Day 7s and never wore them. Before the last game I took them out of the box and put them on,” he recalled.

“I put them on, watched the Lakers pregame warmups, intros and whole pregame show”

The lucky charm worked.

Gaining possession after James won the tip, the four-time MVP missed his first shot before Trevor Ariza claimed an offensive board, giving it straight back to him.

This time, though, Bron was fouled in the act of shooting by Marvin Bagley, leading to two shots at the 11:22 mark of the first quarter with LeBron nailing both, leading FanDuel, who recognize a foul shot as a first basket as per their gradings, to payout Murphy and his friends for an epic night that will never be forgotten.

The 26-year-old says he will be using the winnings to clear his debt and invest in the future for his two young boys. 

Murphy can be followed on Twitter @LoveLiveMurph