NBA’s Adam Silver ‘deeply disturbed’ by Billups and Rozier gambling accusations

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made his first public comments since the federal indictments of Portland coach Chauncey Billups, Miami guard Terry Rozier and former player Damon Jones in connection with a massive gambling scheme.

“My first reaction was that I was deeply disturbed,” Silver said in an interview during Amazon Prime Video’s broadcast of the New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics game on Friday. “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.

“I apologize to our fans as we are all facing this situation.”

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Silver added that the NBA investigated and found no reason to sanction Rozier when his case opened in March 2023 as a member of the Charlotte Hornets, and that sports books alerted the NBA to irregular patterns involving Rozier’s “prop bets.”

“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.”

Earlier Friday, Congress got involved.

The House Commerce Committee sent a letter to Silver on Friday requesting information and a briefing to obtain information related to the scandal.

The committee is seeking five key points of information from Silver:

“1. Details of fraudulent, illegal, and alleged betting practices related to NBA players, coaches, and officials, including the actions of NBA players and coaches identified in the recent indictment; as well as prior cases, some of which are identified above,” the letter states.

“2. Actions that the NBA intends to take to limit the disclosure of non-public information for illegal purposes. 3. Whether the NBA Code of Conduct for Players and Coaches effectively prohibits illegal activities, including the disclosure of non-public information for the purposes of illegal betting schemes. 4. An explanation of the gaps, if any, in existing regulations that permit illegal betting systems. 5. If and how illegal betting systems are permitted. The NBA is re-evaluating the terms of its partnerships with sports betting companies. »

NBA LEGEND CHAUNCEY BILLUPS AND HEAT’S TERRY ROZIER ARRESTED IN FBI GAMING INVESTIGATION

The bipartisan letter was signed by six members of Congress on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

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.

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(Left) Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups talks to a referee during a first-half timeout against the Sacramento Kings at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon on October 10, 2025. (Right) Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier (2) leaves the court after the game against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena from Detroit, Michigan, November 12. 2024. (Jaime Valdez/Imagn Images;Rick Osentoski/Imagn Images)

The arrests overshadowed the league’s opening week.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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