Sen. Cantwell demands NBA transparency amid betting scandal
Oct 29, 2025, 5:02 PM
Portland Trailblazers head coach Chauncey Billups exits the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse after his arraignment on October 23, 2025 in Portland, Oregon. Billups, the 2004 NBA Finals MVP, was charged for his alleged participation in a scheme that involved rigging illegal poker games. (Photo: Mathieu Lewis-Rolland, Getty Images)
(Photo: Mathieu Lewis-Rolland, Getty Images)
U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) sent a letter to the commissioner of the National Basketball Association requesting detailed information about its handling of recent gambling-related scandals involving current and former players and coaches.
“This is a matter of Congressional concern,” the senators wrote to NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
Cantwell, a ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and Cruz, the chairman, requested a comprehensive response by November 10.
“Americans love basketball because it is fast-paced and unpredictable,” the senators wrote. “That volatility is the sport’s magic, and precisely why allegations that current and former NBA players and coaches compromised the game’s integrity are so troubling.”
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Indictments issued against NBA players, coaches
The letter follows federal indictments issued on October 16 against Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, former NBA player and coach Damon Jones, and others for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors allege that Rozier and his associates used insider information to place profitable bets, including rigging outcomes to ensure favorable results.
One example cited in the senators’ letter involves a March 23, 2023, game, where Rozier allegedly informed friends he would exit early due to injury. Bets were placed on his underperformance, and Rozier played fewer than ten minutes, scoring just five points.
Another incident involved Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, who allegedly informed others that key players would sit out a game against the Chicago Bulls and that the team planned to lose intentionally to improve draft odds.
“Needless to say, these connections are disturbing and suggest that gambling-related corruption threatens to infect professional sports,” the senators wrote.
The letter also references Damon Jones, who allegedly sold nonpublic injury information while serving as an unofficial assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers. Jones reportedly texted a co-conspirator that a “prominent player” — believed to be LeBron James — would miss a February 9, 2023 game.
The senators also questioned the NBA’s internal investigation into Rozier, which reportedly found no rule violations.
“This committee needs to understand the specifics of the NBA’s investigation and why Rozier was cleared to continue playing basketball,” the letter stated.
Citing their jurisdiction over professional sports, Cantwell and Cruz requested documents detailing NBA policies on gambling, investigations into rule violations, communications with betting platforms, and findings from the Rozier probe.
“The integrity of NBA games must be trustworthy and free from the influence of organized crime or gambling-related activity. Sports betting scandals like this one may lead the American public to assume that all sports are corrupt,” the senators wrote.
The NBA betting scandal deepened with accusations that Billups participated in a Mafia-backed poker ring. According to federal indictments, Billups acted as a “face card,” a celebrity used to lure wealthy individuals into rigged, high-stakes poker games.
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