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 said Tuesday, including that the gambling 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 shortly before the start of the NBA Cup final were his very first since Rozier, Billups and others were detained in October. He spoke in Las Vegas, a gaming capital that the league has utilized for major events like the Cup last and Summer League for some time.


"I think the fans care a lot," Silver said. "It ´ s hard to make judgments, either anecdotally over what some fans are saying or what ´ s even on social media. Fans certainly care. And I imply it when I say, if this game isn ´ t deemed being sincere and the competition being on the level and at the highest integrity, in time we will lose our fan base. I believe about that. Therefore, I take it extremely seriously."


The NBA is not sure the length of time the examinations and legal processes surrounding gambling charges faced by Rozier, Billups - a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee - and others will take to be finished, Silver stated.


But the league will look into the possibility of providing Miami some sort of "satisfactory relief" since Rozier currently can ´ t play, Silver added, though he stopped short of saying such a move would be possible.


"This is an unmatched situation," Silver said.


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, considered that Rozier ´ s$26.6 million salary uses up about 17 % of the group ´ s cap space - which the team still owes Charlotte a first-round pick in either 2027 or 2028 to satisfy the terms of the trade that brought Rozier to Miami. It ´ s unclear who was mindful that Rozier was under federal examination when the Heat made the trade with the Hornets.


Rozier pleaded not guilty earlier this month to wire scams and cash laundering conspiracy charges stemming from accusations that he assisted some good friends win bets that focused on his analytical efficiency in a video 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 up until March, and he stays on unsettled leave from the Heat.


Prosecutors state Rozier informed the bettors that he planned to leave the game against the New Orleans Pelicans early with an expected injury, permitting gamblers to place wagers making them tens of thousands of dollars. Rozier played the first nine minutes and 36 seconds of the video game before leaving, pointing out a foot issue. He did not play again that season and was subsequently traded to the Heat.


Rozier isn ´ t receiving his pay, but his income is still on the Heat ´ s books and is being sent 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 said. "But there ´ s no obvious option here. I would simply state that there ´ s no doubt at the moment 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 an unfortunate scenario. Sometimes there ´ s these unique events and possibly often they need a distinct service."


Billups also pleaded innocent last month to charges connected to a separate plan 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 - apprehended in October as part of a vast federal takedown of illegal gambling operations linked to pro sports.


The league needs annual training for gamers, coaches and staff about what's allowed and what isn't enabled relating to betting, which is now legal in most states. Silver notoriously championed legalization of sports wagering in an op-ed he composed for The New York Times in 2014.


The circumstances with Rozier and Billups have resulted in a mission for even increased awareness, . The league is likewise taking a look at how finest to make sure prop bets based entirely on a gamer's analytical efficiency - like the ones made on Rozier ´ s March 2023 game - can be performed relatively.


"We ´ ve been enhancing our efforts at the league office, dealing with our groups, taking a look at every aspect of our rules around sports wagering," Silver stated. "Exist much better methods to inform the individuals? Are there alters we should make in how injuries are reported? ... We remain in the process as I stated right now and dealing with our groups thinking about anything else we can be doing, if there ´ s any aspect of our system that requires to be shored up."