Pelicans star quickly catches himself making gambling reference, throws shade at banned player

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Larry Nance Jr. is confident in his New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Maybe a little too confident.

The Pels earned the No. 8 seed after their win in the play-in tournament Friday night, earning a date with the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder for the first round.

OKC is understandably the favorite, especially considering Zion Williamson will likely miss the first round with a hamstring injury he suffered in New Orleans' first game of the tournament.

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Jose Alvarado of the New Orleans Pelicans high-fives Larry Nance Jr. (22) during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2024 SoFi Play-In Tournament April 16, 2024, at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. (Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images)

But Nance quickly had to retract a statement that showed his tremendous confidence.

"Respectfully, I'm betting on the Pels. I'm not betting," Nance said, quickly realizing what he had said and getting a laugh from reporters.

"No Jontay Porter. I'm not betting," Nance clarified. "I'm not betting on anything. I don't own a betting app, none of that."

Nance was referring to the player issued a lifetime ban earlier this week for his involvement in wagering.

Porter was banned after the NBA found in an investigation he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors and bet on games in violation of league rules.

Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors warms up before a game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center March 9, 2024, in Portland, Ore.  (Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

The league said an investigation discovered before "the [Toronto]