NBA commissioner Adam Silver comments for first time since gambling scandal

NBA President Adam Silver made his first public comments on the league’s ongoing gambling scandal this week.

“Nothing is more important to the league and its fans than the integrity of the game,” Silver said before the game on Friday, October 24. NBA Prime Membership broadcast. “So I had a pit in my stomach. It was very frustrating.”

Silver, 63, went on to tell reporters Cassidy Habas He was “deeply disturbed” by the situation ahead of the New York Knicks’ game against the Boston Celtics.

Federal officials arrest nearly three dozen people, including Miami Heat star Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers coach. Chauncey BillupsThursday, Oct. 23, on gambling-related charges.

Rozier allegedly conspired to help associates win bets based on his performance in the game, while Billups was charged with conspiring to commit wire fraud and money laundering in a rigged Mafia-backed poker game.

As early as March 2023, Rozier was also investigated by the league after the NBA was notified of unusual betting activity related to Rozier’s performance in a game. In that March 2023 game, Rozier played just nine and a half minutes, and more than $200,000 was bet on that stat line, according to federal officials.

At the time, the league found “no violations of NBA rules” and Rozier was allowed to continue playing. With new developments this week, both Rozier and Billups were placed on immediate leave.

During the Amazon Prime broadcast, Silver was asked about the decision to allow Rozier to continue playing in 2023 and said the league concluded at the time that “despite the erratic behavior, there was insufficient evidence.”

“We then investigated the situation and were very transparent about it,” Silver said. “While there were unusual bets, frankly we couldn’t find anything.

He continued, “Then we worked directly with law enforcement. That was obviously over two years ago…and we’ve been working with them ever since.”

Both Rozier and Billups issued statements through their attorneys denying any wrongdoing.

On Thursday, former NBA star and current basketball analyst charles buckley Comments on the situation said the scandal had nothing to do with gambling addiction.

“You can’t change the game of basketball under any circumstances,” Barkley said on ESPN’s pregame show. “No matter what. I love the idea of ​​gambling, Rozier made $26 million. How much benefit did he get by taking himself out of the game by placing bets, giving people information or taking himself out of the game? He made $26 million.”

The scandal occurred less than a week into the NBA season.

“I apologize to our fans and we’re all dealing with this situation, but as far as the competition on the court, it’s pretty spectacular,” Silver said. “I should start with our excitement on Amazon. I didn’t anticipate that my first interview on Amazon would be about sports betting.”

according to Associated PressThe NBA has at least 14 partnerships with sportsbooks, including FanDuel and DraftKings, and some individual teams have signed their own agreements with sportsbooks.