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 stability, Commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday, adding 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 severity.


remarks in a news conference soon before the start of the NBA Cup last were his very first because Rozier, Billups and others were apprehended in October. He spoke in Las Vegas, a gaming mecca that the league has utilized for major events like the Cup final and Summer League for some time.


"I think the fans care a lot," Silver said. "It ´ s tough to make judgments, either anecdotally over what some fans are stating or what ´ s even on social media. Fans certainly care. And I suggest it when I say, if this game isn ´ t considered as being truthful and the competitors being on the level and at the highest stability, with time we will lose our fan base. I believe about that. Therefore, I take it exceptionally seriously."


The NBA is unsure the length of time the investigations and legal procedures surrounding betting charges dealt with 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 offering Miami some sort of "satisfactory 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 extraordinary 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 issue for the league and the Heat, given that Rozier ´ s$26.6 million salary takes up about 17 % of the group ´ s cap area - and that 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 uncertain who understood that Rozier was under federal investigation when the Heat made the trade with the Hornets.


Rozier pleaded not guilty previously this month to wire scams and cash laundering conspiracy charges stemming from allegations that he assisted some pals win bets that focused on his statistical efficiency 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 up until March, and he remains on unsettled leave from the Heat.


Prosecutors state Rozier informed the gamblers that he meant to leave the video game against the New Orleans Pelicans early with an expected injury, permitting gamblers to place wagers earning them tens of countless 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 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 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 stated. "But there ´ s no apparent solution here. I would simply say that there ´ s no doubt at the moment they have a player that can ´ t perform services for them. ... Obviously, he hasn ´ t been convicted of anything yet either - however this is a regrettable circumstance. Sometimes there ´ s these unique occasions and maybe sometimes they require a distinct option."


Billups also pleaded innocent last month to charges connected to a different plan to fix high-stakes, Mafia-backed poker games. Rozier, Billups and former NBA guard Damon Jones were amongst more than 30 people - including a number of Mafia figures - apprehended in October as part of a vast federal takedown of prohibited betting operations linked to professional sports.


The league needs yearly training for players, coaches and staff about what's enabled and what isn't enabled concerning gaming, which is now legal in many states. Silver famously promoted legalization of sports wagering in an op-ed he composed for The New York Times in 2014.


The scenarios with Rozier and Billups have actually led to a mission for even increased awareness, Silver said. The league is also looking at how finest to guarantee prop bets based solely on a player's analytical performance - like the ones made on Rozier ´ s March 2023 game - can be carried out fairly.


"We ´ ve been redoubling our efforts at the league office, working with our teams, taking a look at every element of our guidelines around sports betting," Silver said. "Are there better methods to educate the participants? Exist alters we should make in how injuries are reported? ... We remain in the procedure 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 needs to be fortified."