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

LAS VEGAS (AP) - It is important for the NBA to be viewed as having integrity, Commissioner Adam Silver stated Tuesday, including that the gambling scandals that led to the arrests of Miami guard Terry Rozier, Portland coach Chauncey Billups and others are being taken with the utmost seriousness.


Silver's comments in a news conference shortly before the start of the NBA Cup final were his very first because Rozier, Billups and others were jailed in October. He spoke in Las Vegas, a gambling mecca that the league has actually utilized for major events like the Cup last and Summer League for a long time.


"I believe the fans care a lot," Silver said. "It ´ s difficult to make judgments, either anecdotally over what some fans are saying or what ´ s even on social networks. Fans certainly care. And I indicate it when I say, if this video game isn ´ t viewed as being sincere and the competition being on the level and at the highest stability, with time we will lose our fan base. I have no doubt about that. And so, I take it extremely seriously."


The NBA is uncertain how long the examinations and legal procedures surrounding gaming charges faced by Rozier, Billups - a Basketball Hall of Fame conscript - and others will require completed, Silver said.


But the league will look into the possibility of providing Miami some sort of "satisfying relief" since Rozier presently can ´ t play, Silver included, though he stopped short of saying 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 city. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)


It ´ s a multi-layered issue for the league and the Heat, given that Rozier ´ s$26.6 million wage uses up about 17 % of the team ´ s cap space - 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 unclear who was conscious that Rozier was under federal examination when the Heat made the trade with the Hornets.


Rozier pleaded not guilty earlier this month to wire scams and cash laundering conspiracy charges stemming from allegations that he helped some buddies win bets that focused on his statistical efficiency in a game played in March 2023, when he was with Charlotte. Rozier is totally free on $3 million bond and isn ´ t anticipated back in court up until March, and he remains on unsettled leave from the Heat.


Prosecutors say Rozier informed the bettors that he planned to leave the video game versus the New Orleans Pelicans early with a supposed injury, permitting gamblers to put wagers making them tens of countless dollars. Rozier played the first nine minutes and 36 seconds of the 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, however 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 try to work something through, work this out with them," Silver said. "But there ´ s no apparent solution here. I would just state that there ´ s no doubt at the moment they have a player that can ´ t carry out services for them. ... Obviously, he hasn ´ t been convicted of anything yet either - however this is an unfortunate circumstance. Sometimes there ´ s these unique occasions and maybe in some cases they need an unique option."


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


The league needs annual training for players, coaches and staff about what's permitted and what isn't permitted relating to betting, which is now legal in the majority of states. Silver notoriously championed legalization of sports wagering in an op-ed he wrote for The New york city Times in 2014.


The situations with Rozier and Billups have actually caused a quest for even heightened awareness, Silver stated. The league is likewise looking at how best to guarantee prop bets based entirely on a player's statistical performance - like the ones made on Rozier ´ s March 2023 video game - can be executed fairly.


"We ´ ve been redoubling our efforts at the league workplace, working with our groups, looking at every aspect of our guidelines around sports wagering," Silver stated. "Are there much better ways to inform the participants? Are there alters we should make in how injuries are reported? ... We remain in the process as I said right now and working with our groups considering anything else we can be doing, if there ´ s any element of our system that needs to be shored up."