12/16/25 07:55:00
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12/16 19:53 CST Silver says NBA is taking gambling scandal seriously, may look
into Heat relief over Terry Rozier
Silver says NBA is taking gambling scandal seriously, may look into Heat relief
over Terry Rozier
By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Basketball Writer
LAS VEGAS (AP) --- It is critical for the NBA to be perceived as having
integrity, Commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday, adding 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 first since Rozier, Billups and others were arrested in October.
He spoke in Las Vegas, a gambling mecca that the league has used for major
events like the Cup final and Summer League for some time.
"I think the fans care a lot," Silver said. "It's hard to make judgments,
either anecdotally over what some fans are saying or what's even on social
media. Fans definitely care. And I mean it when I say, if this game isn't
viewed as being honest and the competition being on the level and at the
highest integrity, over time we will lose our fan base. I have no doubt about
that. And so, I take it incredibly seriously."
The NBA is not sure how long the investigations and legal processes surrounding
gambling charges faced by Rozier, Billups --- a Basketball Hall of Fame
inductee --- and others will take to be completed, Silver said.
But the league will look into the possibility of giving Miami some sort of
"satisfactory relief" because Rozier currently can't play, Silver added, though
he stopped short of saying such a move would be possible.
"This is an unprecedented situation," Silver said.
It's a multi-layered issue for the league and the Heat, given that Rozier's
$26.6 million salary takes up about 17% of the team's cap space --- and that
the team still owes Charlotte a first-round pick in either 2027 or 2028 to
satisfy the terms of the trade that brought Rozier to Miami. It's unclear who
was aware that Rozier was under federal investigation when the Heat made the
trade with the Hornets.
Rozier pleaded not guilty earlier this month to wire fraud and money laundering
conspiracy charges stemming from accusations that he helped some friends win
bets that revolved around his statistical performance in a game played in March
2023, when he was with Charlotte. Rozier is free on $3 million bond and isn't
expected back in court until March, and he remains on unpaid leave from the
Heat.
Prosecutors say Rozier informed the bettors that he intended to leave the game
against the New Orleans Pelicans early with a supposed injury, allowing
gamblers to place wagers earning them tens of thousands of 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 subsequently traded to
the Heat.
Rozier isn't receiving his pay, but his salary is still on the Heat's books and
is being sent to an interest-bearing account pending resolution of his case or
some other agreement.
"We're going to try to work something through, work this out with them," Silver
said. "But there's no obvious solution here. I would just say that there's no
doubt at the moment they have a player that can't perform services for them.
... Obviously, he hasn't been convicted of anything yet either --- but this is
an unfortunate circumstance. Sometimes there's these unique events and maybe
sometimes they require a unique solution."
Billups also pleaded not guilty last month to charges related to a separate
scheme to fix high-stakes, Mafia-backed poker games. Rozier, Billups and former
NBA guard Damon Jones were among more than 30 people --- including several
Mafia figures --- arrested in October as part of a sprawling federal takedown
of illegal gambling operations linked to pro sports.
The league requires annual training for players, coaches and staff about what's
allowed and what isn't allowed regarding gambling, which is now legal in most
states. Silver famously championed legalization of sports betting in an op-ed
he wrote for The New York Times in 2014.
The situations with Rozier and Billups have led to a quest for even heightened
awareness, Silver said. The league is also looking at how best to ensure prop
bets based solely on a player's statistical performance --- like the ones made
on Rozier's March 2023 game --- can be executed fairly.
"We've been redoubling our efforts at the league office, working with our
teams, looking at every aspect of our rules around sports betting," Silver
said. "Are there better ways to educate the participants? Are there changes we
should make in how injuries are reported? ... We're in the process as I said
right now and working with our teams thinking about anything else we can be
doing, if there's any aspect of our system that needs to be shored up."
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