It appears that nobody is left unscathed in the NBA gambling scandal, which has prompted an official FBI investigation. That includes the Chicago Bulls, although not for the reasons that most would assume.
It turns out the Bulls were victimized by alleged improprieties during a game against the Portland Trail Blazers on March 24, 2023, per Elias Schuster of Bleacher Nation. According to the indictment, Co-Conspirator No. 8 told sports bettor Eric Earnest that, against the Bulls, the Trail Blazers would tank the game. All in an effort to snatch up a top draft pick.
At the time, the Trail Blazers were out of contention for the players. They had a record of 32-40 with only ten games left in the season. In the end, the Bulls defeated the Trail Blazers 124-96.
Also, Chauncey Billups was the head coach for the Trail Blazers. He, along with Terry Rozier, is among those who were arrested on charges of illegal gambling activities. Part of that included relaying player health information to bettors so they could place bets on the opposing team and increase their chances.
No Bulls players have been implicated in the scandal. On Saturday, they will play their first road game of the season against the Orlando Magic.
How the Bulls have responded to the scandal
So far, the only Bulls personnel to speak up about the investigation are Nikola Vucevic and head coach Billy Donovan.
Specifically, Vucevic addresses the problem gambling poses to the integrity of sports. Additionally, raising concerns about fans wanting their favorite teams to do well for their bottom line. A contrast from traditional sports fandom of hoping the team wins regardless.
Meanwhile, Donovan openly said ”I was really surprised and saddened by all of it” He also stated that he had a close relationship with Billups.
Plus, Donovan said that the NBA is “very adamant about this stuff” when it comes to education around gambling.
