Silver Says NBA Is Taking Gambling Scandal Seriously, May Look Into

LAS VEGAS (AP) - It is crucial for the NBA to be perceived as having integrity, Commissioner Adam Silver stated Tuesday, including that the gambling 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 remarks in a news conference shortly before the start of the NBA Cup final were his very first because Rozier, Billups and others were detained in October. He spoke in Las Vegas, a betting mecca that the league has actually used for significant events like the Cup last and Summer League for a long time.


"I believe the fans care a lot," Silver stated. "It ´ s tough to make judgments, either anecdotally over what some fans are saying or what ´ s even on social media. Fans absolutely care. And I suggest it when I state, if this game isn ´ t saw as being sincere and the competitors being on the level and at the greatest stability, gradually we will lose our fan base. I have no doubt about that. Therefore, I take it exceptionally seriously."


The NBA is not sure for how long 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 said.


But the league will check out the possibility of giving Miami some sort of "satisfactory relief" due to the fact that Rozier presently can ´ t play, Silver included, though he stopped short of stating such a relocation would be possible.


"This is an unmatched scenario," Silver stated.


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 concern for the league and the Heat, offered that Rozier ´ s$26.6 million income uses up about 17 % of the group ´ s cap area - and that the group still owes Charlotte a first-round pick in either 2027 or 2028 to please the terms of the trade that brought Rozier to Miami. It ´ s uncertain who was aware that Rozier was under federal investigation when the Heat made the trade with the Hornets.


Rozier pleaded innocent previously this month to wire fraud and cash laundering conspiracy charges coming from accusations that he helped some pals win bets that focused on his statistical performance in a game played in March 2023, when he was with Charlotte. Rozier is free on $3 million bond and isn ´ t expected back in court till March, and he remains on unpaid leave from the Heat.


Prosecutors state Rozier informed the bettors that he planned to leave the game versus the New Orleans Pelicans early with a supposed injury, enabling gamblers to put wagers earning 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 problem. He did not play once again that season and was subsequently traded to the Heat.


Rozier isn ´ t receiving his pay, but his wage 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 stated. "But there ´ s no apparent service here. I would just say that there ´ s no doubt at the moment they have a player that can ´ t carry out services for them. ... Obviously, he hasn ´ t been convicted of anything yet either - however this is a regrettable circumstance. Sometimes there ´ s these special occasions and possibly often they require a distinct solution."


Billups likewise pleaded not guilty last month to charges related to 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 individuals - consisting of numerous Mafia figures - apprehended in October as part of a vast federal takedown of prohibited gambling operations connected to professional sports.


The league requires yearly training for gamers, coaches and personnel about what's enabled and what isn't enabled relating to betting, which is now legal in the majority of states. promoted legalization of sports betting in an op-ed he composed for The New york city Times in 2014.


The circumstances with Rozier and Billups have led to a quest for even heightened awareness, Silver said. The league is also taking a look at how best to ensure prop bets based exclusively on a gamer's analytical performance - like the ones made on Rozier ´ s March 2023 game - can be performed relatively.


"We ´ ve been redoubling our efforts at the league workplace, dealing with our groups, taking a look at every aspect of our rules around sports betting," Silver stated. "Are there better ways to inform the participants? Are there changes we should make in how injuries are reported? ... We remain in the process as I said right now and working with our groups thinking of anything else we can be doing, if there ´ s any aspect of our system that requires to be fortified."