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 stability, Commissioner Adam Silver stated Tuesday, including that the betting scandals that resulted in the arrests of Miami guard Terry Rozier, Portland coach Chauncey Billups and others are being taken with the utmost seriousness.
Silver's comments in a press conference soon before the start of the NBA Cup final were his first because Rozier, Billups and others were in October. He spoke in Las Vegas, a betting capital that the league has used for major occasions like the Cup final and Summer League for some time.
"I believe the fans care a lot," Silver said. "It ´ s hard to make judgments, either anecdotally over what some fans are stating 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 truthful and the competitors being on the level and at the greatest stability, with time we will lose our fan base. I believe about that. Therefore, I take it incredibly seriously."
The NBA is unsure for how long the investigations and legal processes surrounding betting charges faced by Rozier, Billups - a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee - and others will take to be completed, Silver said.
But the league will check out the possibility of providing Miami some sort of "acceptable relief" due to the fact that Rozier presently can ´ t play, Silver included, though he stopped short of saying such a relocation would be possible.
"This is an unprecedented 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 concern for the league and the Heat, given that Rozier ´ s$26.6 million income uses up about 17 % of the group ´ s cap space - and that the group still owes Charlotte a first-round pick in either 2027 or 2028 to please the regards to the trade that brought Rozier to Miami. It ´ s unclear who was conscious 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 money laundering conspiracy charges coming from allegations that he helped some buddies win bets that revolved around his statistical efficiency in a game played in March 2023, when he was with Charlotte. Rozier is complimentary on $3 million bond and isn ´ t expected back in court until March, and he remains on unpaid leave from the Heat.
Prosecutors say Rozier informed the wagerers that he planned to leave the video game versus the New Orleans Pelicans early with a supposed injury, allowing gamblers to position wagers earning them tens of thousands of dollars. Rozier played the very first 9 minutes and 36 seconds of the game before leaving, mentioning a foot problem. He did not play once again that season and was subsequently traded to the Heat.
Rozier isn ´ t receiving his pay, however his salary is still on the Heat ´ s books and is being sent to an interest-bearing account pending resolution of his case or some other arrangement.
"We ´ re going to try to work something through, work this out with them," Silver said. "But there ´ s no obvious 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 circumstance. Sometimes there ´ s these special events and maybe sometimes they need a special option."
Billups likewise pleaded innocent last month to charges related to a different scheme to repair high-stakes, Mafia-backed poker games. Rozier, Billups and previous NBA guard Damon Jones were among more than 30 individuals - consisting of several Mafia figures - apprehended in October as part of a vast federal takedown of prohibited betting operations connected to pro sports.
The league needs yearly training for gamers, coaches and personnel about what's enabled and what isn't permitted regarding gambling, which is now legal in most states. Silver famously promoted legalization of sports betting in an op-ed he composed for The New york city Times in 2014.
The scenarios with Rozier and Billups have resulted in a quest for even heightened awareness, Silver stated. The league is likewise looking at how finest to guarantee prop bets based solely on a player's statistical performance - like the ones made on Rozier ´ s March 2023 game - can be carried out fairly.
"We ´ ve been enhancing our efforts at the league workplace, working with our teams, looking at every aspect of our rules around sports betting," Silver said. "Are there better ways to inform the individuals? Are there changes we should make in how injuries are reported? ... We're in the procedure as I stated right now and dealing with our groups believing about anything else we can be doing, if there ´ s any element of our system that requires to be supported."
