"I had a pit in my stomach": NBA commissioner Adam Silver comments upon indictment against Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier

Adam Silver, the NBA commissioner, voiced unease after federal prosecutors indicted Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups. In his comment since the charges were announced, Silver admitted the episode left him profoundly unsettled and stressed that preserving the integrity of the game remains the league's top priority.

Speaking on an Amazon-produced broadcast from Madison Square Garden on Friday night, he offered the NBA's acknowledgment of a case that has rattled the basketball world. He said (via ESPN):

"My initial reaction was I was deeply disturbed. There's nothing more important to the league and its fans than the integrity of the competition. And so I had a pit in my stomach. It was very upsetting."

Adam Silver outlines the NBA investigation into Terry Rozier following irregular betting patterns

Adam Silver, the NBA commissioner, walked through the chain of events that set off the league's probe into Terry Rozier's alleged gambling. He said the spark was a betting pattern that showed up around the March 23,  2023, matchup between the Charlotte Hornets and the New Orleans Pelicans.

Once licensed sportsbooks and gaming regulators flagged that activity, the NBA launched its internal review. In the end, the review concluded no league rules had been broken, so Rozier was cleared to keep playing, Silver said. What began as a contained incident eventually spilled into a federal probe culminating in an indictment that encompasses 34 individuals, including Rozier, former NBA Finals MVP Chauncey Billups, and ex‑Cleveland Cavaliers player‑coach Damon Jones, on allegations tied to unlawful sports wagering and a fixed poker operation. Adam said (via ESPN):

"So what happened was because bets were placed through legalized legal betting companies, they picked up aberrational behavior around a particular game in March of 2023. And so, it was brought to our attention by the regulators and the betting companies. We then looked into that situation and were very transparent about it. And while there was that aberrational betting, we, frankly, couldn't find anything... The federal government has subpoena power... [It] can threaten to put people in jail, can do all kinds of things that the league office can't do."

He continued:

"So, we've been working with them since then. And, of course, what they announced yesterday was an indictment. And 2½ years later, he still hasn't been convicted of anything, in fairness to Terry. Obviously, it doesn't look good, but he's been put on administrative leave, and so it is a balance here between protecting people's rights and investigating. And as I said, we've been working with the government, and they have extraordinary powers the league office doesn't have."

Prosecutors contend that Rozier is accused of leaking intel and intentionally bowing out of a contest early, a maneuver that allegedly tipped the scales in favor of bettors whose wagers, reports say, swelled into the high‑hundreds‑of‑thousands‑of‑dollars range. In response, the NBA has put both Rozier and Billups on leave as it persists in its collaboration with investigators.

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