NBA commissioner addresses gambling scandal for the first time

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NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made his first public comments since the federal indictments of Portland coach Chauncey Billups and Miami guard Terry Rozier and former player Damon Jones in a wide-ranging gambling-related scheme.

“My initial reaction was I was deeply disturbed,” Silver said in an interview during the Amazon Prime Video broadcast of the New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics game Friday. “There’s nothing more important to the league and its fans than the integrity of the competition. I had a pit in my stomach. It was very upsetting.

“I apologize to our fans that we are all dealing with this situation.”

Silver added the NBA investigated and found no reason to sanction Rozier when his case opened in March 2023 as a member of the Charlotte Hornets, and sports books alerted the NBA to irregular patterns involving Rozier’s “prop bets.”

“We frankly couldn’t find anything,” Silver said. “Terry at the time cooperated. He gave the league office his phone. He sat down for an interview. And we ultimately concluded that there was insufficient evidence despite that aberrational behavior to move forward.

“He still hasn’t been convicted of anything, in fairness to Terry. Obviously, it doesn’t look good. But he’s now been put on administrative leave. There’s a balance here of protecting people’s rights and investigating.”

Earlier Friday, Congress got involved.

The House Committee on Commerce Friday sent a letter to Silver requesting information and a briefing to obtain information related to the scandal.

The committee is seeking five key points of information from Silver:

“1. Details about the fraudulent, illegal, and alleged betting practices in connection with NBA players, coaches, and officials, including the actions of NBA players and coaches identified in the recent indictment; as well as prior instances, some of which are identified above,” the letter states.

“2. Actions the NBA intends to take to limit the disclosure of nonpublic information for illegal purposes. 3. Whether the NBA’s Code of Conduct for players and coaches effectively prohibits illegal activity, including the disclosure of non-public information for the purposes of illegal betting schemes. 4. An explanation of the gaps, if any, in existing regulations that allow illegal betting schemes to occur. 5. Whether and how the NBA is reevaluating the terms of its partnerships with sports betting companies.”

NBA LEGEND CHAUNCEY BILLUPS, HEAT’S TERRY ROZIER ARRESTED AS PART OF FBI GAMBLING PROBE

The bipartisan letter was signed by six members of Congress on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Rozier was arrested because federal officials allege he conspired with associates to help them win bets based on his statistical performance. The charges are similar to what former Toronto player Jontay Porter faced before he was banned from the league by Silver in 2024.

Billups faces charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering for participating in what federal officials called Mafia-backed rigged poker games. He also matches the credentials of someone described only as Co-Conspirator 8 in an indictment detailing how some people gave bettors inside information on player health statuses.