The recent arrests of NBA players and coaches have led to heightened scrutiny about the NBA and its promotion of gambling websites. (Photo courtesy of CNBC)
The FBI arrested a whopping 34 people on illegal gambling charges last week, including current Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Damon Jones and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups.
The basketball world is reeling, putting out anti-gambling statements faster than Stephen Curry can pull up from 30 feet out. But how does this fiasco stack up against past NBA scandals? And what exactly got those basketball dudes in jail anyway? Here’s what you need to know.
Two cases, one briefing
The arrests came after not one but two investigations into nationwide illegal betting operations wrapped up. FBI Director Kash Patel called the extent of the fraud “mind-boggling,” as if his Hunter Pence eyes weren’t enough of a giveaway.
Rozier came under scrutiny after removing himself from a March contest in the first quarter after a supposed “injury,” which allegedly netted his childhood friend $100,000 for selling the information to gamblers in advance. It’s a stunning betrayal from a league that usually praises players for giving back to their community.
Jones, a former point guard who once called himself “the best shooter in the world,” thought providing bettors with confidential injury updates on LeBron James would be an easy score, but now it’s looking like the airball of the century. James, meanwhile, got so mad he almost punched another blackboard.
The allegations against Billups, a Hall of Fame guard and the 2004 NBA Finals MVP, have only added to his legendary aura. How many people can say they helped the Mafia extort millions of dollars through rigged underground poker games? Billups, under instruction from his lawyer, probably can’t for now, but give it a few years, and he’ll have the coolest podcast on the internet.
Not the NBA’s first rodeo
Think this scandal is unprecedented? Think again. Since NBA play began in 1948, the league has been a prime target for gambling and rigging.
In 1953, referee Sol Levy was convicted of rigging games he officiated, and a year later, All-Star rookie Jack Molinas was banned for life after admitting to betting on his team, the Fort Wayne Pistons. At least Molinas bet on himself winning, I guess.
In 2007, Levy’s reincarnation, better known as Tim Donaghy, was also arrested and convicted after admitting to controlling the point spread on games he refereed over four seasons.
And just last year, the obscure Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter was permanently banned after conspiring with gamblers to feign illnesses to win in betting the under on his statistics.
Not only was he the first active player banned for gambling since Molinas, his undoing also sparked the investigation that led to Rozier and Jones’ arrests. It was so embarrassing, he even deleted his Instagram. Yikes.
Friendly with FanDuel
In the wake of the arrests, the NBA’s chummy relationships with gambling platforms have come under intense scrutiny. If the league gets millions each year from its sponsorships with the likes of DraftKings, Caesars and BetMGM, why shouldn’t the players get a little piece of the pie every now and then?
That’s actually a terrible idea, but the league’s full-throated embrace of the forbidden fruit isn’t helping one bit. No matter your views on betting, though, something is definitely rotten in the state of basketball.