Silver Says NBA Is Taking Gambling Scandal Seriously, May Check Out
LAS VEGAS (AP) - It is crucial for the NBA to be viewed as having integrity, Commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday, adding that the 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 quickly before the start of the NBA Cup last were his first given that Rozier, Billups and others were detained in October. He spoke in Las Vegas, a gaming mecca that the league has actually used for major occasions like the Cup final and Summer League for some time.
"I think the fans care a lot," Silver stated. "It ´ s difficult to make judgments, either anecdotally over what some fans are saying or what ´ s even on social networks. Fans absolutely care. And I indicate it when I state, if this video game isn ´ t considered as being truthful and the competition being on the level and at the greatest integrity, in time we will lose our fan base. I believe about that. And so, I take it extremely seriously."
The NBA is unsure the length of time the investigations and legal procedures surrounding gaming charges faced by Rozier, Billups - a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee - and others will require completed, Silver said.
But the league will look into the possibility of providing 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 unprecedented 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 issue for the league and the Heat, considered that Rozier ´ s$26.6 million salary takes up about 17 % of the group ´ s cap area - which the team still owes Charlotte a first-round pick in either 2027 or 2028 to please the regards to the trade that brought Rozier to Miami. It ´ s uncertain who understood that Rozier was under federal examination when the Heat made the trade with the Hornets.
Rozier pleaded not guilty earlier this month to wire fraud and cash laundering conspiracy charges coming from allegations that he helped some friends win bets that focused on his statistical performance in a video game played in March 2023, when he was with Charlotte. Rozier is free on $3 million bond and isn ´ t anticipated back in court till March, and he stays on unpaid leave from the Heat.
Prosecutors state Rozier informed the wagerers that he intended to leave the video game against the New Orleans Pelicans early with a supposed injury, enabling gamblers to position wagers making them 10s of thousands of dollars. Rozier played the very first 9 minutes and 36 seconds of the game before leaving, pointing out a foot concern. He did not play once again that season and was consequently traded to the Heat.
Rozier isn ´ t getting his pay, but his salary 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 contract.
"We ´ re going to try to work something through, work this out with them," Silver said. "But there ´ s no apparent solution here. I would just say that there ´ s no doubt at the minute they have a player that can ´ t carry out services for them. ... Obviously, he hasn ´ t been founded guilty of anything yet either - however this is an unfortunate scenario. Sometimes there ´ s these special occasions and perhaps sometimes they need a special option."
Billups likewise pleaded innocent last month to charges associated with a separate plan to fix high-stakes, Mafia-backed poker video games. Rozier, Billups and former NBA guard Damon Jones were amongst more than 30 people - consisting of a number of Mafia figures - detained in October as part of a vast federal takedown of illegal betting operations linked to pro sports.
The league needs annual training for players, coaches and personnel about what's permitted and what isn't enabled concerning betting, which is now legal in most states. Silver famously promoted legalization of sports wagering in an op-ed he composed for The New york city Times in 2014.
The scenarios with Rozier and Billups have resulted in a mission for even heightened awareness, Silver said. The league is also taking a look at how finest to ensure prop bets based solely on a player's statistical performance - like the ones made on Rozier ´ s March 2023 video game - can be executed relatively.
"We ´ ve been enhancing our efforts at the league office, dealing with our groups, looking at every aspect of our rules around sports betting," Silver said. "Exist better ways to inform the participants? Are there changes we should make in how injuries are reported? ... We remain in the procedure as I stated right now and working with our groups believing about anything else we can be doing, if there ´ s any element of our system that needs to be supported."
