NBA commissioner says he’s ‘deeply disturbed’ by gambling case involving Billups and Rozier | NBA

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, in his first public comments since the arrest of Portland coach Chauncey Billups and Miami guard Terry Rozier on gambling-related charges, said Friday night he was stunned by the indictments that have rocked the league.

“My first reaction was that I was deeply disturbed,” Silver said on Amazon Prime Video, during the streaming service’s first broadcast – Boston to New York. “There is 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.”

It was a sentiment shared by many within the league Friday, a day after indictments were unsealed and nearly three dozen people — including Billups and Rozier — were arrested by federal officials.

Rozier was arrested because federal officials allege he conspired with associates to help them win bets based on his statistical performance. The charges are similar to what former Toronto player Jontay Porter faced before being banned from the league by Silver in 2024.

Billups faces charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering for participating in what federal officials called Mafia-backed rigged poker games. It also matches the identifying information of a person described only as Co-Conspirator 8 in an indictment detailing how some people gave bettors inside information about the health of players.

The arrests overshadowed the league’s opening week.

“I apologize to our fans because we are all dealing with this situation,” Silver said during the in-game interview.

The Rozier affair has been going on since March 23, 2023. He was then with the Charlotte Hornets, and sports betting – legal – alerted the NBA to irregular patterns involving Rozier’s “prop bets” that day. Rozier continued to play about nine and a half minutes, and those who bet that he would underperform the stated stat lines won those bets. Federal officials said more than $200,000 was bet on those lines alone.

The NBA investigated and found no reason to sanction Rozier, Silver said.

“Frankly, we didn’t find anything,” Silver said. “Terry was cooperative at the time. He gave his phone to the league office. He sat down for an interview. And we ultimately concluded that there was not enough evidence despite this aberrational behavior to move forward.

“He still hasn’t been convicted of anything, to be fair to Terry. Obviously it’s not looking good. But he’s now been placed on administrative leave. There’s a balance here between protecting people’s rights and investigating.”

Los Angeles Clippers coach Tyronn Lue considers Billups his best friend and said the news was difficult to accept. He said he spoke with Billups Thursday evening and was encouraged by what he heard.

“To experience something like this, the allegations, his family, my goddaughters, it was a difficult day,” Lue said. “You never want to see your friends go through something like that.”

Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers started in the NBA as a player more than 40 years ago. He saw a lot of good and bad. He thought he had heard everything. That is, until now.

“It’s really sad,” Rivers said Friday.

Along with Billups and Rozier, former NBA player Damon Jones now faces charges because authorities say he tipped off bettors about the health conditions of two Los Angeles Lakers players. The details of that indictment clearly show that Jones was discussing the availability of LeBron James and former Lakers center Anthony Davis with punters before their statuses for certain games were publicly known. There is no indication that James or Davis had any knowledge of what Jones allegedly did.

“We see now what these things can become and how they can spread, how valuable that information is,” Detroit coach JB Bickerstaff said. “It’s a difficult situation overall, but once you bring the game into the sports world, there are going to be some very dangerous situations for everyone – from a safety point of view, that sort of thing.”

The NBA requires all teams to inform players, coaches and staff each year about what is and isn’t allowed when it comes to gambling. The Orlando Magic met recently on this very topic.

And then after Thursday’s news, they saw each other again.

“Yesterday was another reminder of what we need to do,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “We had another conversation with the group. I think the more this happens, the more we need to continue to talk to the group about what’s going on.”

The league has at least 14 relationships with sportsbooks, including FanDuel and DraftKings. Some teams also have their own offers. Silver has often spoken about how legal betting can be monitored and how unusual trends can be reported immediately, which is part of why the league believes the integrity of the games can be protected.

But some coaches and players still believe more can be done.

“The league and the game and the business of the league has evolved. And so we just have to be aware of how things evolve in this business, right?” said San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson. “It’s very important for us to continue to be educated and attentive to everything that has to do with our business. … I believe in Adam Silver and the league, that they will do whatever is necessary to continue to grow the game the right way.”

Another issue for players and coaches is the way social media has given bettors ways to communicate with members of the league. As many have said, these interactions are not always friendly.

“The outside world, in my time, couldn’t reach us. They literally couldn’t reach us,” Rivers said Friday. “And now they can, easily.”