NBA commissioner Adam Silver has finally addressed the arrests of Portland coach Chauncey Billups and Miami guard Terry Rozier on gambling-related charges.
On Friday night, October 24, Silver noted on Amazon Prime Video for a halftime interview during the Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks game, "My initial reaction was I was deeply disturbed."
"There's nothing more important to the league and its fans than the integrity of the competition. I had a pit in my stomach. It was very upsetting," he said.
The federal indictments announced on Thursday alleged two schemes of fraud, one involving cheating at illegal poker games and another that involved NBA games and online sports betting.
As reported by NBC News, in the NBA fraud, Rozier and five others are accused of exploiting confidential information about players and teams so that others could make bets.
This included one instance where Rozier allegedly tipped off a friend about plans to prematurely leave a game in 2023, and then bets were placed with that nonpublic knowledge.
The indictments have cast a spotlight on online sports betting that is now legal in many states, although those sportsbooks have been accused of no wrongdoing, and US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr said the sportsbooks were victims.
Adam Silver said on Friday that the league investigation was prompted after legal sportsbooks picked up unusual behaviour around a game in March of 2023.
