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David Purdum
David Purdum
ESPN Staff Writer
- Joined ESPN in 2014
- Journalist covering gambling industry since 2008
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Shwetha Surendran
Shwetha Surendran
ESPN
- Shwetha Surendran is a reporter in ESPN’s investigative and enterprise unit.
Oct 24, 2025, 02:41 PM ET
Members of Congress sent a letter Friday to NBA commissioner Adam Silver requesting a briefing and expressing concern over “allegations of illegal gambling and sports rigging” after Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA player and coach Damon Jones were indicted in a pair of sweeping federal investigations this week.
The bipartisan letter, signed by six members of Congress on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, requested a briefing with Silver by Oct. 31.
ESPN has reached out to the NBA for comment.
The committee, which oversees consumer protection and sports, said in its letter that it has previously investigated “steroid use in Major League Baseball, anti-doping measures at the Olympic Games and the sexual abuse of Olympic athletes.”
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Committee members requested more details on alleged NBA-related illegal gambling activity, the actions that the league has taken “to limit the disclosure of non-public information for illegal purposes” and if the NBA’s code of conduct is effective in prohibiting players and coaches from such activity.
They also questioned in the letter if the league is “reevaluating the terms of its partnerships with sports betting companies.” DraftKings and FanDuel are the NBA’s official gambling partners, alongside a number of authorized gaming operators.
In the letter, committee members also asked for clarification of any gaps in existing regulations that allow for fraudulent betting activity. Silver said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday that more regulation is needed to reduce opportunities for game manipulation related to gambling and to combat bad fan behavior in arenas, which may stem from losing wagers.
“I think, probably, there should be more regulation, frankly,” Silver told McAfee. “I wish there was federal legislation rather than state by state. I think you’ve got to monitor the amount of promotion, the amount of advertising around it.”
Illegal gambling in the league based on nonpublic information is not a “new problem,” the letter noted, referencing former NBA referee Tim Donaghy’s case in 2007, as well as the more recent investigation into former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter.
Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges and admitting to betting on games he officiated. Porter admitted to manipulating his performance in two games for the benefit of gamblers as part of the same scheme involving Rozier and Jones. He pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.
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