NBA commissioner says he's "deeply disturbed" by gambling scandal
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Friday he was "deeply disturbed" by the illegal gambling scandal that rocked the North American basketball league this week.
"My initial reaction was that I was deeply disturbed, there is nothing more important to the league and its fans than the integrity of the competition," Silver said in his first comments on the matter, offered to Amazon Prime .
The case erupted Thursday when U.S. law enforcement arrested Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat player Terry Rozier as part of a sweeping nationwide investigation.
Rozier and former player and assistant coach Damon Jones were arrested for their alleged roles in a betting scheme that prosecutors say provided insider information about injuries and game losses to bettors between December 2022 and March 2024 .
The 31-year-old guard was accused of manipulating his participation in a 2023 game, when he played for the Charlotte Hornets , by withdrawing early citing injury.
That mishap would have benefited his partners in the scheme, who would have bet large sums that Rozier would finish the game below his usual stats.
The NBA investigated the incident but determined that its rules had not been violated, and Rozier continued to play.
"We investigated that situation," Silver recalled Friday. "And although there were anomalous bets, we couldn't find anything."
"Terry was cooperative at the time. He turned his phone over to the league office. He underwent an interview, and ultimately, we concluded there wasn't enough evidence, despite this anomalous behavior, to move forward," said the head of the North American basketball league.
Despite the results of that NBA investigation, federal prosecutors found sufficient evidence to file charges.
"We're working with law enforcement," Silver emphasized. "The league has been cooperating. That happened more than two years ago."
"The federal government has the power to issue subpoenas. They can threaten to put people in jail. They can do all kinds of things the league office can't, so we've been working with them ever since," he said.
Chauncey Billups , a former Detroit Pistons star and Hall of Famer as a player, was arrested for his alleged involvement in illegal rigged poker games that prosecutors say were linked to mafia families.
The scandal marked the start of the new NBA season this week, the first under the new 11-year, $77 billion broadcast rights agreement .
Miami Heat teammates expressed their support for Rozier on Friday, who has denied the allegations through his attorney.
Other players around the league expressed shock at the arrests, with some recalling the impact they are experiencing from the rise of online gambling and the actions of disillusioned gamblers.
Eleconomista
