The NBA is facing one of its most turbulent periods in years, with scandals and illegal activities surfacing almost every month. From Pablo S. Torre’s revelations about the LA Clippers to the FBI’s arrests of key figures, the league’s integrity has come under scrutiny. In response, Commissioner Adam Silver has announced sweeping reforms to strengthen gambling regulations and protect the game’s credibility, signaling a decisive effort to restore public trust in the league’s operations.

The league sent an official memo to all teams on Monday outlining the new measures. “Given the spread of legal betting to the majority of U.S. states, the recurrence of integrity issues across sports, and the emergence of novel betting formats and markets, this is an opportune time to carefully reassess how sports betting should be regulated,” the document stated. This represents the most significant policy shift since the Supreme Court legalized sports betting in 2018.

The FBI arrested three prominent NBA figures, Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier, and Damon Jones, last week as part of a large-scale investigation into illegal gambling and poker-rigging operations. Billups and Jones were accused of organizing mafia-backed underground poker games that allegedly involved several high-profile participants.

Rozier, meanwhile, faced charges connected to an illegal sports-betting scheme that reportedly used insider information and game manipulation. The arrests sent shockwaves through the NBA, raising serious concerns about integrity, transparency, and the league’s ability to safeguard its reputation.

So the league’s new policy focuses on proposition bets tied to individual player performances, which the league has identified as posing “heightened integrity concerns.” The NBA also noted that unusual betting patterns involving Terry Rozier’s March 2023 game were only detected because wagers were placed legally, underscoring the need for stronger safeguards. Moving forward, the league will increase monitoring and tighten regulations around these bet types to better protect the sport’s integrity, but the damage is done.

The league is also launching a comprehensive review of all injury reporting protocols and personnel training. “With sports betting now occupying such a significant part of the current sports landscape, every effort must be made to ensure that players, coaches, and other NBA personnel are fully aware of the dire risks that gambling can impose upon their careers and livelihoods,” the memo explained. The updated training will emphasize the serious consequences of violating gambling policies.

Moreover, a former NBA referee at the center of the league’s last major gambling controversy has revealed that federal investigators believe the current scandal cannot be contained like previous incidents, suggesting much broader implications for the league’s integrity.

Tim Donaghy warns NBA gambling scandal exposes deeper corruption

A former NBA referee, Tim Donaghy, has weighed in on the league’s latest controversy. Donaghy revealed that an FBI agent who worked on his case reached out to him regarding the current scandal involving Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier. “I just received a text message from one of the FBI agents that worked my case, and he basically said they’re not going to be able to cover this up like they covered up mine,” Donaghy said, hinting at deeper concerns about the league’s integrity.

Donaghy detailed how his own case was allegedly handled, claiming former commissioner David Stern influenced the proceedings. He stated, “I think David Stern was able to put a lid on it and paint me as one bad apple,” and added that the FBI wanted to indict six or seven others but was shut down at high levels. Donaghy also pointed to a revolving door between government and the NBA, noting that Greg Andres, once head of the Eastern District of New York, later took a role providing legal counsel to the league.

The former referee warned that the current arrests might only be the beginning, expressing concern about vulnerabilities in college athletics who are vulnerable. “I think this is just the tip of the iceberg,” Donaghy said, predicting that financial pressures could lead to game-fixing among college players who aren’t earning significant money despite NIL deals. These revelations come as the NBA has placed Billups and Rozier on indefinite leave amid the federal probe.

If Donaghy’s claims hold weight, Commissioner Adam Silver may be facing more systemic issues than initially apparent. The historical allegations about covered-up investigations resurface as the league grapples with its most significant gambling scandal since Donaghy’s time, challenging the NBA’s efforts to maintain public trust.