Adam Silver ‘deeply disturbed’ by NBA gambling allegations

NBA commissioner Adam Silver didn’t hold back when asked about the league’s growing gambling scandal Friday night on Amazon Prime’s broadcast of Celtics-Knicks.

“My initial reaction was I was deeply disturbed,” Silver told reporter Cassidy Hubbarth. “There is nothing more important to the league and its fans than the integrity of the competition. And so I had a pit in my stomach. It was very upsetting.”

The commissioner was referring to the federal indictments that led to the arrests of Heat guard Terry Rozier, Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, and former Cavaliers guard and assistant coach Damon Jones, among others.

Silver went on to explain that the league first became aware of potential irregularities back in March 2023, when suspicious “under” bets flooded sportsbooks tied to Rozier’s prop lines before a Hornets game in New Orleans.

“So what happened was, because bets were placed through legalized betting companies, they picked up aberrational behavior around a particular game,” Silver said. “It was brought to our attention by the regulators and the betting companies. We then looked into that situation and were very transparent about it.”

At the time, the NBA found no clear evidence of wrongdoing. Silver said Rozier cooperated fully — handing over his phone, sitting for interviews, and giving the league access to his communications.

But while the NBA’s internal probe hit a wall, the federal investigation continued.

“The federal government has subpoena power,” Silver said. “It can threaten to put people in jail, can do all kinds of things that the league office can’t do. So we’ve been working with them since then. Obviously, what they announced yesterday was an indictment.”

Rozier, Billups, and Jones have all been placed on administrative leave while the cases play out.

Silver, meanwhile, knows the scandal has cast a cloud over the start of the 2025–26 season.

“I apologize to our fans that we are all dealing with this situation,” he said. “Obviously, it doesn’t look good, but we’re committed to protecting the integrity of the game.”