Silver Says NBA Is Taking Gambling Scandal Seriously, May Check Out
LAS VEGAS (AP) - It is important for the NBA to be viewed as having integrity, Commissioner Adam Silver stated Tuesday, including that the betting scandals that led to the arrests of Miami guard Terry Rozier, Portland coach Chauncey Billups and others are being taken with the utmost severity.
Silver's remarks in a news conference soon before the start of the NBA Cup last were his first since Rozier, Billups and others were jailed in October. He spoke in Las Vegas, a gaming capital that the league has utilized for significant events like the Cup last and Summer League for some time.
"I think the fans care a lot," Silver said. "It ´ s difficult to make judgments, either anecdotally over what some fans are saying or what ´ s even on social networks. Fans absolutely care. And I imply it when I state, if this game isn ´ t considered as being sincere and the competition being on the level and at the greatest stability, over time we will lose our fan base. I have no doubt about that. Therefore, I take it incredibly seriously."
The NBA is unsure for how long the examinations and legal procedures surrounding gaming charges dealt with by Rozier, Billups - a Basketball Hall of Fame conscript - and others will require completed, Silver said.
But the league will look into the possibility of some sort of "acceptable relief" since Rozier currently can ´ t play, Silver added, though he stopped short of stating such a relocation would be possible.
"This is an extraordinary situation," Silver stated.
Miami Heat's Terry Rozier, right, leaves Brooklyn federal court, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
It ´ s a multi-layered problem for the league and the Heat, considered that Rozier ´ s$26.6 million salary uses up about 17 % of the group ´ s cap area - which the group still owes Charlotte a first-round choice in either 2027 or 2028 to satisfy the terms of the trade that brought Rozier to Miami. It ´ s uncertain who understood that Rozier was under federal investigation when the Heat made the trade with the Hornets.
Rozier pleaded not guilty earlier this month to wire fraud and cash laundering conspiracy charges originating from accusations that he helped some pals win bets that revolved around his analytical efficiency in a game played in March 2023, when he was with Charlotte. Rozier is totally free on $3 million bond and isn ´ t anticipated back in court till March, and he remains on unpaid leave from the Heat.
Prosecutors say Rozier notified the gamblers that he planned to leave the video game against the New Orleans Pelicans early with a supposed injury, permitting gamblers to put wagers earning them 10s of countless dollars. Rozier played the very first nine minutes and 36 seconds of the video game before leaving, citing a foot concern. He did not play once again that season and was consequently traded to the Heat.
Rozier isn ´ t receiving his pay, but his income is still on the Heat ´ s books and is being sent out to an interest-bearing account pending resolution of his case or some other agreement.
"We ´ re going to attempt to work something through, work this out with them," Silver stated. "But there ´ s no apparent option here. I would just state that there ´ s no doubt at the minute they have a player that can ´ t perform services for them. ... Obviously, he hasn ´ t been founded guilty of anything yet either - however this is a regrettable situation. Sometimes there ´ s these distinct events and possibly in some cases they need an unique option."
Billups likewise pleaded innocent last month to charges associated with a separate scheme to fix high-stakes, Mafia-backed poker video games. Rozier, Billups and former NBA guard Damon Jones were amongst more than 30 people - consisting of a number of Mafia figures - apprehended in October as part of a vast federal takedown of illegal gaming operations linked to pro sports.
The league needs annual training for players, coaches and staff about what's enabled and what isn't enabled concerning gambling, which is now legal in the majority of states. Silver famously promoted legalization of sports wagering in an op-ed he composed for The New york city Times in 2014.
The circumstances with Rozier and Billups have caused a mission for even heightened awareness, Silver said. The league is also looking at how best to make sure prop bets based entirely on a gamer's statistical performance - like the ones made on Rozier ´ s March 2023 video game - can be performed fairly.
"We ´ ve been redoubling our efforts at the league office, working with our teams, taking a look at every aspect of our rules around sports betting," Silver said. "Exist better methods to educate the individuals? Exist alters we should make in how injuries are reported? ... We're in the procedure as I stated right now and working with our teams considering anything else we can be doing, if there ´ s any aspect of our system that requires to be fortified."
