NBA commissioner says he's 'deeply disturbed' by gambling case

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Friday that he was “deeply disturbed” about allegations of criminal gambling fraud that resulted in the indictments of Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat star Terry Rozier a day earlier.“There’s nothing more important to the league and its fans than the integrity of the competition,” Silver said in a halftime interview during Friday’s Boston Celtics-New York Knicks game.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Friday that he was “deeply disturbed” about allegations of criminal gambling fraud that resulted in the indictments of Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat star Terry Rozier a day earlier.

“There’s nothing more important to the league and its fans than the integrity of the competition,” Silver said in a halftime interview during Friday’s Boston Celtics-New York Knicks game. “And so I had a pit in my stomach, it was very upsetting.”

The federal indictments announced Thursday alleged two schemes of fraud, one involving cheating at illegal poker games and another that involved NBA games and online sports betting.

In the NBA fraud, Rozier and five others are accused of exploiting confidential information about players and teams so that others could make bets — which FBI Director Kash Patel likened to insider trading.

In one instance, Rozier allegedly tipped off a friend about plans to prematurely leave a game in 2023, and then bets were placed with that nonpublic knowledge.