Silver Says NBA Is Taking Gambling Scandal Seriously, May Check Out

LAS VEGAS (AP) - It is important for the NBA to be perceived as having stability, Commissioner Adam Silver stated Tuesday, including that the betting 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 press conference quickly before the start of the NBA Cup last were his first considering that Rozier, Billups and others were detained in October. He spoke in Las Vegas, a gambling mecca that the league has utilized for major occasions like the Cup final and Summer League for a long 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 media. Fans definitely care. And I suggest it when I say, if this game isn ´ t considered as being honest and the competitors being on the level and at the highest integrity, in time we will lose our fan base. I have no doubt about that. And so, I take it extremely seriously."


The NBA is not exactly sure the length of time the investigations and legal procedures surrounding gambling charges dealt with by Rozier, Billups - a Basketball Hall of Fame conscript - and others will take to be finished, Silver said.


But the league will check out the of giving Miami some sort of "acceptable relief" due to the fact that Rozier currently can ´ t play, Silver added, though he stopped short of saying such a move would be possible.


"This is an extraordinary circumstance," 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 concern for the league and the Heat, considered that Rozier ´ s$26.6 million income takes up about 17 % of the group ´ s cap area - and that the team still owes Charlotte a first-round choice 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 originating from accusations that he assisted some good friends win bets that focused on his statistical efficiency in a 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 remains on unsettled leave from the Heat.


Prosecutors state Rozier informed the wagerers that he intended to leave the game against the New Orleans Pelicans early with an expected injury, enabling gamblers to put wagers earning them tens of countless dollars. Rozier played the first nine minutes and 36 seconds of the video game before leaving, citing a foot issue. He did not play again that season and was consequently traded to the Heat.


Rozier isn ´ t getting his pay, but his income 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 said. "But there ´ s no obvious option here. I would simply state that there ´ s no doubt at the minute they have a gamer that can ´ t perform services for them. ... Obviously, he hasn ´ t been convicted of anything yet either - however this is an unfortunate circumstance. Sometimes there ´ s these distinct occasions and possibly sometimes they need an unique solution."


Billups also pleaded not guilty last month to charges connected to a different plan to repair high-stakes, Mafia-backed poker video games. Rozier, Billups and previous NBA guard Damon Jones were amongst more than 30 individuals - consisting of a number of Mafia figures - arrested in October as part of a sprawling federal takedown of unlawful betting operations connected to professional sports.


The league requires annual training for players, coaches and personnel about what's allowed and what isn't allowed concerning betting, which is now legal in most states. Silver famously championed legalization of sports wagering in an op-ed he composed for The New york city Times in 2014.


The circumstances with Rozier and Billups have resulted in a mission for even increased awareness, Silver stated. The league is likewise looking at how finest to ensure prop bets based entirely on a gamer's statistical performance - like the ones made on Rozier ´ s March 2023 game - can be executed fairly.


"We ´ ve been enhancing our efforts at the league workplace, working with our groups, taking a look at every aspect of our rules around sports betting," Silver said. "Are there better methods to inform the participants? Exist changes we should make in how injuries are reported? ... We're in the procedure as I said today and dealing with our groups considering anything else we can be doing, if there ´ s any aspect of our system that needs to be shored up."