Silver Says NBA Is Taking Gambling Scandal Seriously, May Look Into
LAS VEGAS (AP) - It is critical for the NBA to be viewed as having integrity, Commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday, adding that the gaming scandals that caused the arrests of Miami guard Terry Rozier, Portland coach Chauncey Billups and others are being taken with the utmost seriousness.
Silver's remarks in a press conference shortly before the start of the NBA Cup final were his first because Rozier, Billups and others were apprehended in October. He spoke in Las Vegas, a gambling mecca that the league has actually utilized for significant events like the Cup last and Summer League for some time.
"I believe the fans care a lot," Silver stated. "It ´ s difficult to make judgments, either anecdotally over what some fans are stating or what ´ s even on social media. Fans definitely care. And I imply it when I say, if this video game isn ´ t deemed being sincere and the competitors being on the level and at the greatest integrity, in time we will lose our fan base. I have no doubt about that. Therefore, I take it exceptionally seriously."
The NBA is not sure the length of time the examinations and legal processes surrounding betting charges dealt with by Rozier, Billups - a Basketball Hall of Fame conscript - and others will take to be finished, Silver stated.
But the league will check out the possibility of giving Miami some sort of "acceptable relief" due to the fact that Rozier currently can ´ t play, Silver added, though he stopped short of stating such a relocation would be possible.
"This is an unprecedented situation," Silver said.
Miami Heat's Terry Rozier, right, leaves Brooklyn federal court, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025, in New york city. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
It ´ s a multi-layered issue for the league and the Heat, given that Rozier ´ s$26.6 million wage uses up about 17 % of the team ´ s cap space - which the team still owes Charlotte a first-round choice in either 2027 or 2028 to please the regards to the trade that brought Rozier to Miami. It ´ s unclear who understood that Rozier was under federal examination when the Heat made the trade with the Hornets.
Rozier pleaded innocent previously this month to wire scams and money laundering conspiracy charges stemming from accusations that he helped some good friends win bets that focused on his statistical performance in a video game played in March 2023, when he was with Charlotte. Rozier is complimentary on $3 million bond and isn ´ t expected back in court till March, and he stays on unsettled leave from the Heat.
Prosecutors state Rozier notified the bettors that he planned to leave the game versus the New Orleans Pelicans early with a supposed injury, permitting gamblers to position wagers earning them tens of thousands of dollars. Rozier played the first 9 minutes and 36 seconds of the game before leaving, a foot problem. He did not play once again that season and was consequently traded to the Heat.
Rozier isn ´ t getting 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 arrangement.
"We ´ re going to attempt to work something through, work this out with them," Silver said. "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 scenario. Sometimes there ´ s these special occasions and possibly in some cases they need a distinct solution."
Billups likewise pleaded not guilty last month to charges associated with a separate scheme to repair high-stakes, Mafia-backed poker video games. Rozier, Billups and former NBA guard Damon Jones were among more than 30 people - consisting of numerous Mafia figures - detained in October as part of a sprawling federal takedown of unlawful gaming operations linked to professional sports.
The league needs yearly training for players, coaches and personnel about what's enabled and what isn't allowed relating to gambling, which is now legal in the majority of states. Silver famously promoted legalization of sports betting in an op-ed he composed for The New york city Times in 2014.
The situations with Rozier and Billups have led to a quest for even heightened awareness, Silver stated. The league is also looking at how finest to make sure prop bets based solely on a gamer's statistical performance - like the ones made on Rozier ´ s March 2023 game - can be performed fairly.
"We ´ ve been enhancing our efforts at the league workplace, dealing with our teams, taking a look at every aspect of our guidelines around sports betting," Silver said. "Are there much better ways to inform the individuals? Exist alters we should make in how injuries are reported? ... We remain in the procedure as I stated today and dealing with our groups thinking of anything else we can be doing, if there ´ s any element of our system that needs to be supported."