Oct 12, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard/forward Jaylen Brown (7) takes a shot before a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Celtics' Jaylen Brown Addresses Growing Gambling Scandal Surrounding NBA

Originally posted on Boston Celtics on SI
By Patrick Warren | Last updated Oct 24, 2025 5:30 PM ET

The NBA world was rocked Thursday morning after Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were arrested as part of an FBI investigation into illegal betting activities.

Celtics star Jaylen Brown expressed his disappointment in the lack of integrity he thinks the legalization of sports gambling has introduced to the league.

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“Me personally, that whole world was introduced a couple years ago, and I don’t think they took players into consideration," Brown told reporters. "Especially with the energy and the behavior that goes around gambling and how that directly correlates to players.

"We don’t benefit from any of the profits or anything like that, but we’ve got to deal with a lot of the extra negativity and scrutiny behind all the gambling stuff. And then on top of that, it creates more integrity issues, etc. So I’m not sure what the answer is going forward, but definitely something that people have got to spend more time having conversations about.”

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Rozier was accused of telling members of a betting ring that he would leave a game early, ensuring them to wager on his prop bets knowing that he would perform under his projected totals.

In Billups' case, his involvement was predominantly in relation to an illegal poker game ring that was allegedly rigged using intricate devices such as X-ray tables and hidden cameras. Billups is facing wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges in connection with a Mafia-backed underground poker ring, according to the indictment.

Jaylen Brown on the gambling climate surrounding the NBA and other sports:

“Me personally, that whole world was introduced a couple years ago, and I don’t think they took players into consideration, especially with the energy and the behavior that goes around gambling and how…
— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) October 24, 2025

Brown, who is the NBPA Vice President on the Executive Committee, said there has been "little to no conversation around" plans to "protect players more with the (current) environment."

Brown thinks the broad acceptance of sports gambling has affected how fans interact with players.

“Obviously, it’s a part of it, but definitely some of the experiences, the fan engagement, the fan interactions that we’ve had over the years where fans feel like they can come on the court and touch players and things like that, it’s leading to situations that we can avoid if more conversations were had right now.”

Brown spent three seasons with Rozier in Boston and said the accusations against the 31-year-old were not indicative of his character.

"Sometimes it’s hard to tell what’s real and what’s not online and on the internet because there’s so much misinformation, so I didn’t really have no reaction," Brown said. "I guess we’ll get to the bottom of it and see what’s what. Until then, everything is yet to be determined.”