The spectre of betting corruption that has plagued cricket in the past has now reached the NBA, with federal prosecutors arresting Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and 30 others for match-fixing, insider betting, and rigged poker games.
The dual criminal schemes, which prosecutors say generated tens of millions of dollars in fraudulent profits, represent the most serious threat to the NBA's integrity since referee Tim Donaghy was found betting on games in 2007.
The revelation came during the season's opening week and as the league celebrated new broadcast deals worth $76 billion over 11 years.
"The fraud is mind boggling," FBI director Kash Patel said. "We're talking about tens of millions of dollars in fraud and theft and robbery across a multi-year investigation. This is the insider-trading saga for the NBA."
Both Billups and Rozier face money laundering and wire fraud conspiracy charges in separate but damaging operations.
Billups allegedly participated in fixing high-stakes card games across multiple cities, whilst Rozier stands accused of manipulating sports bets using privileged information about NBA players' availability.
Former NBA assistant coach and player Damon Jones has been implicated in both schemes, allegedly exploiting his relationship with an unnamed "prominent NBA player" to obtain inside information for professional bettors.
Though not named in the indictment, speculation centres on LeBron James, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with whom Jones worked during pre-game workouts despite not being on the Lakers staff.
A text message from Jones to co-conspirators laid bare the operation's mechanics: "Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out! (Player 3) is out tonight. Bet enough so Djones can eat to (sic) now!" Player 3 was LeBron James, who sat out that Lakers game.
Prosecutors cited another instance where Rozier allegedly informed associates that he planned to leave a game early with an injury, whilst playing for Charlotte Hornets in 2023. This allowed gamblers to profit from wagers placed on this inside knowledge.
The parallel poker scheme allegedly defrauded gamblers of at least $7 million through technology including altered card-shuffling machines, hidden cameras, and X-ray equipment built into tables.
The illegal games were run by New York crime families, with proceeds shared among the Gambino, Genovese, and Bonnano families, who allegedly deployed violence to ensure debt repayment.
Joseph Nocella, the top federal prosecutor for the eastern district of New York, warned: "My message to the defendants who've been rounded up today is this: Your winning streak has ended. Your luck has run out."
The scandal extends beyond professional basketball. Two career criminals indicted in the Rozier case—Shane Hennen and Marves Fairley—are also allegedly involved in fixing games at low-major college basketball programmes including Eastern Michigan, New Orleans, North Carolina A&T and Mississippi Valley State State.
Hennen served 30 months for intent to distribute cocaine and was separately arrested for assault after stabbing someone. Fairley was accused in 2018 of murdering a man in witness protection but received a 15-year suspended sentence with no time served.
The NCAA announced last month it was investigating 13 college basketball players from six schools for betting on or against their own teams. Conspirators appear to have targeted smaller programmes where athletes lack lucrative endorsement deals and departments lack resources for robust monitoring.
The NCAA on Wednesday, just 24 hours before the NBA indictments, reversed its long-standing prohibition on student-athletes gambling on professional sports. Whilst college athletes still cannot wager on collegiate sports, from November 1 they may bet on professionals.
Today, sports’ gambling is permissible in some 30 states, and betting advertisements saturate broadcasts.
For cricket followers, particularly in the subcontinent, this scandal will feel familiar. From Hansie Cronje to spot-fixing scandals involving Pakistani players, cricket has been scarred by betting corruption for decades.
The mechanisms are identical: inside information about player availability, pre-arranged outcomes, and organised criminal networks exploiting the financial vulnerabilities or greed of athletes.
The NBA has placed both Billups and Rozier on leave and issued a statement confirming cooperation with authorities: "We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority."
Prosecutors are seeking detention for involved Mafia members and ringleaders of the poker scheme, whilst recommending release for Billups and Jones with strict bail conditions including gambling prohibition and travel restrictions.
As American basketball confronts its betting demons, it might look to cricket's painful lessons: no sport is immune when criminal organisations, inside information, and gambling markets collide.
