ORLANDO, Fla. — Two days after the arrests of Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, the entire NBA — including the Chicago Bulls — is still reeling in the aftermath of a league-redefining gambling scandal.
The FBI arrested Rozier and Billups as part of a sprawling investigation into a gambling and sports rigging operation allegedly facilitated by the mafia, according to law enforcement officials. Rozier is accused of fixing his own prop lines by faking injuries to exit games early while conspirators bet the under on his statistics. Billups was arrested because of his involvement with illegally tampered poker games — and according to court documents, also could be attached to the sports rigging operation.
Rozier and Billups have been placed on leave by the NBA following their arrests. Both were released after initial hearings.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan said he was shocked by the arrests, citing a “really, really good relationship” with Billups during his playing and coaching careers.
“You just get surprised by those things,” Donovan told reporters after practice Friday. “I’m sure we don’t have all the details. There’s probably more to come out. But it’s just sad that they’re dealing with that personally as human beings and the league’s dealing with it as well.”
The arrests of Rozier and Billups realized one of the greatest fears for the NBA — the possibility that the product can and will be tampered with by individuals with outside stakes.
The Bulls facilitate an annual seminar to educate players about how to safely engage with gambling. The NBA also has beefed up its resources for rookies and other incoming players as concerns about sports betting in college heighten due to the changing landscape of NIL deals. Players are offered anonymous hotlines and legal counsel to ensure their safe and legal conduct.
All of these resources are meant to prevent players from falling into the trap of match fixing. But regardless of their involvement, the effects of sports betting are prolific — and inescapable — for professional athletes.
“Gambling is a big problem — not only here, but worldwide,” center Nikola Vučević said. “Now that it’s gotten into sports, a lot of people are involved in it. A lot of people get stuck and it’s hard to get out. It’s available on your phone. All you’ve got to do is download the app. We as players feel it a lot when we step on the court.”
Like any other sports league, the NBA has been tangled up in gambling scandals since its inception. But the industry shifted in 2018 when the Supreme Court struck down a federal ban from 1992, allowing individual states to roll out their own policies and ushering in the boom of app-based sports betting.
Athletes felt the shift almost immediately. In the early years of his career, Vučević remembers the cheers and jeers from fans being specific to the game or the season at hand. Now, most of the banter he hears from the crowd reflects a fan’s parlay for the night: “I need 10 rebounds! Don’t take any 3s!”
And often, when Vučević glances at the crowd to see who is heckling him with their latest betting line, he finds himself looking back at a young person — sometimes only 14 or 15 years old.
“Honestly, it pisses me off because it’s disrespectful to the game,” Vučević said. “We put so much work in, try to do the right things, try to play the right way and win for our team and people focus on if I’m going to get 10 rebounds or not.”
The NBA now faces a grueling waiting game as the league weathers the aftershocks of the FBI investigation. Billups and Rozier both intend to fight their charges. The conclusion of those court cases — and the reaction from the league — will set a new precedent for how the NBA penalizes illicit gambling behavior among players and staff.
But in the meantime, the realities of gambling in the NBA will remain the same — a constant presence that has shifted the environment for players, coaches and fans alike.