Only a few days into the season, the NBA was rocked by an FBI investigation into illegal gambling activities. In addition to the arrests of Chauncy Billups and Terry Rozier, other big names in the league are facing implications.
Among them are legends such as Kevin Garnett, who is allegedly involved in an illegal poker game. Meanwhile, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is still trying to process it all, per Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.
Silver said to Cassidy Hubbarth on Amazon Prime that he is saddened by the investigation and that the league is cooperating with the FBI.
“We’ve been working with the government, and they have extraordinary powers the league office doesn’t have,” Silver said.
The ongoing investigation is focusing on two separate schemes. The first involved rigged poker games in conjunction with members of the mob. The other involves players and coaches providing injury information to bettors.
As of late, 34 individuals have been arrested. Other names mentioned in the investigation are former player and assistant coach Damon Jones. Jones allegedly texted a co-conspirator about the absence of LeBron James due to injury during a game in February 2023.
As a result, bettors would place higher odds on the Lakers.
The list of scandals under Adam Silver's tenure as NBA Commissioner
There have been some notable scandals that have taken place with Silver at the helm. In 2014, his first year as Commissioner replacing David Stern, he had to deal with the ramifications of Clippers owner Donald Sterling making racist comments about his players in a leaked audio tape.
Silver issued a lifetime ban on Sterling.
Then in 2022, Silver issued a one-year suspension towards Phoenix Suns' owner Robert Sarver after an investigation revealed a history of racist and sexist behavior. As a result, Sarver had to sell the team.
In 2024, Silver issued a lifetime ban on former player Jontay Porter over ironically sports betting. Essentially, he was found to have collaborated with betters to profit from his performance.
