'Deeply Disturbed' Adam Silver Apologises To Fans After NBA Hit By Illegal Betting Scandal

Last Updated:October 25, 2025, 12:01 IST

Adam Silver voiced concern after Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups were arrested in an FBI probe into illegal gambling.

Adam Silver has apologised to the fans. (AP Photo)

NBA commissioner Adam Silver expressed his deep concern on Friday following the arrests of Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups in an extensive FBI investigation into illegal gambling.

“My initial reaction was I was deeply disturbed," Silver stated during an interview with Amazon Prime during their coverage of the New York Knicks’ home game against the Boston Celtics.

“There’s nothing more important for the league and its fans than the integrity of the competition."

Heat guard Rozier and former NBA player and assistant Damon Jones were arrested for their alleged roles in a betting scheme that prosecutors claim provided insiders with information on injuries and player absences from games between December 2022 and March 2024.

Rozier, who denies any wrongdoing, was accused of informing co-conspirators that he would leave a March 2023 game early due to a supposed injury while playing for the Charlotte Hornets, enabling them to place bets on his performance accordingly.

Portland Trail Blazers coach Billups, a former Detroit Pistons star and NBA Hall of Famer, was apprehended in connection with rigged illegal poker games linked to Mafia crime families, with Jones also indicted in the investigation.

At a press conference in New York on Thursday, FBI director Kash Patel described “a criminal enterprise that envelops both the NBA and La Cosa Nostra."

Both Billups and Rozier were immediately suspended by the NBA, but the league’s new season continued with 12 games scheduled for Friday.

Silver expressed regret that the allegations had distracted from the start of the season.

“I apologize to our fans that we are all dealing with, now, this situation," Silver said.

“But in terms of the competition on the floor, it has been spectacular."

Billups and Rozier were both arraigned on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering on Thursday, Billups in Portland, Oregon, and Rozier in Orlando, Florida. Both have denied the accusations through their attorneys.

Prosecutors stated the 49-year-old Billups was among over 30 people indicted for alleged involvement in a nationwide scheme to rig illegal poker games. Billups’s celebrity status helped attract players to high-stakes games that employed “high-tech cheating technology," including shuffling machines capable of reading cards, hidden cameras, and barcoded decks.

Rozier and Jones allegedly participated in a scheme involving illegal betting on the performance of players from the Charlotte Hornets, the Portland Trail Blazers, the Los Angeles Lakers, and Toronto Raptors.

Rozier, 31, was part of the illegal gambling probe that led to the lifetime ban of former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter last year.

The NBA stated in January that they found no evidence Rozier violated league rules but were cooperating with an ongoing federal investigation. Silver indicated the league had been alerted to suspicious betting activity related to Rozier.

“We then looked into that situation," Silver said. “And while there was that aberrational betting, we couldn’t find anything.

“Terry at the time cooperated. He gave the league office his phone. He sat down for an interview and we ultimately concluded there was insufficient evidence, despite that aberrational behavior, moving forward."

He noted that federal authorities have broader investigative powers, including the ability to subpoena witnesses, and said the league had been cooperating with the ongoing investigations.

Billups was not named in the sports betting indictment, but the description of one unnamed co-conspirator involved in alleged illegal betting on a Trail Blazers game matches his playing and coaching career.

Since sports gambling was legalized in most US states in 2018, American professional leagues have eagerly partnered with betting firms to tap into a multi-billion-dollar industry. Consequently, the NBA wasn’t the only league affected by the news of the indictments, with the NFL sending a memo to all 32 teams reminding players that betting on NFL games and any illegal gambling are prohibited.

Players were also reminded not to throw or fix any NFL game, manipulate plays, or share confidential, non-public information regarding any NFL game, player, or event with third parties.

Feroz Khan

Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital...Read More

Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital...

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News sports 'Deeply Disturbed' Adam Silver Apologises To Fans After NBA Hit By Illegal Betting Scandal

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