Stevin ‘Hedake’ Smith to promote gambling harm awareness through EPIC
Stevin ‘Hedake’ Smith was at the centre of one of the most high-profile examples of gambling-related harm in basketball history, which makes him the perfect latest addition to EPIC Global Solutions’ team as they continue to educate the current generation of professional and collegiate athletes on how to avoid the repeat of a similar scenario.
The former point guard made his name as a star player at Arizona State University in the early 1990s, setting college records for three-point attempts and being a two-time All-Pac-10 selection. However, his involvement in point-shaving – which was the subject of a 2021 Netflix documentary – led to a one-year prison sentence and impacted an NBA career with hometown team, Dallas Mavericks.
The source of his gambling harm – being approached by a gambler to change the final score of a game without changing who wins – is an issue that remains very pertinent to student-athletes 30 years on, in spite of the significant changes to sports wagering legislation.
This ensures that his planned involvement in EPIC’s range of education sessions to teams connected to partners such as the NCAA, MLB and MLSPA will be an important lesson for the athletes, coaches and staff in attendance when he travels to address them in his new role as US sports advisor for the company.
“I’m passionate about wanting to tell my story and get out there to prevent this from happening again,” he explained.
“I’ve been able to tell my story to players previously and I’m able to have a relationship with all of them in the audience because of the way I deliver my message and coming from one big fraternity in sport. Knowing that EPIC has a global reach is something that really stood out to me about this opportunity and I’m passionate about getting out there and speaking about my experience.”
Though already a renowned name in sporting circles, Smith’s profile is set to rise again in the months ahead with the release of eponymous autobiography, ‘Hedake’, which will coincide with his work with EPIC.
“We’re proud to welcome Hedake to our team and can’t wait to see the impact he’ll have on audiences,” added Teresa Fiore, EPIC’s VP of partnerships.
“In being approached to shave points on game, Hedake has experienced a type of gambling-related harm which is different to many of our other team members. His story represents an area of increasing concern within sports, which adds to the range of our education designed to benefit our valued partners and the key people in their organisations.”
Smith joins a team which possesses significant lived experience in problem gambling that connected with careers in sports such as baseball, boxing and soccer, meaning that EPIC’s speakers have an innate understanding of the challenges facing the audience they’re addressing through partnerships with many of the world’s leading sports organisations.
