Oct 27, 2025, 01:02 PM ET
The opening week of the NBA season was rocked by Thursday’s news of two federal investigations related to illegal sports betting and rigged poker games. The arrests of Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former player and assistant coach Damon Jones have sent shock waves through the basketball world.
Many current players and coaches have chimed in, sharing their reaction to the news, how they’ve been impacted by the rise of sports betting, and what could lie ahead for the league’s expanding role in the space.
MORE: What we know about the Billups-Rozier NBA gambling cases
On the news of Thursday’s arrests:
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Spoelstra, Adebayo react to Terry Rozier’s arrest
Erik Spoelstra and Bam Adebayo talk about moving forward after Heat guard Terry Rozier’s arrest.
Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat head coach:
“Terry is somebody who is very dear to all of us. He has had a real positive impact on our locker room, on staff and players alike. That includes last year when he wasn’t in the rotation often times. So you send our thoughts and care for him as he goes through it.”
Rick Carlisle, Indiana Pacers head coach and president of the coaches’ association:
“It’s a shocking day. I reached out today to Chauncey to see how he was doing. He did not answer, but the coaches’ association, we support all of our coaches. So, reached out to him and his representatives and I’ll just kind of leave it at that. But yeah, and this is a very serious situation. The irony I guess of it is from my perspective, yesterday was a day when our general counsel came down and read us all the regulations on gambling and warned our coaching staff, our players, our support staff, about all these different things. In terms of the details of the allegations, I don’t know any of that, but it’s a world that’s a different world than it was a few years ago with the advent of legalized gambling. And I guess there’s another aspect of this is unrelated to basketball, so I will not comment on that, but a shocking day, and we will see what happens as all the facts [are] collected.”
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J.B. Bickerstaff, Detroit Pistons head coach:
“[Billups is] a friend of mine. I’ve known him since I was in the seventh grade. You know, I care about him immensely, and I hate to see what he’s going through right now. As a friend, as a human, I’m here to support him and be there for him in any way that he needs me to be. And I know just how difficult this time is, and I think everyone needs to allow the due process to happen, and then obviously judgments can be made.
“But you feel for anybody who you’ve known that long, have a relationship with, [I] know his family well. So you know, I know he’s going through it. I know it’s a difficult time for him, but all of us as friends and coaches are there for him.”
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors forward:
“I was shocked. I woke up to that news, and I had overslept for shootaround. So when I woke up, I couldn’t really check in on it. I got here, and they’re like, ‘Man, you see everything that happened?’ I’m like, ‘Ah, not quite.’ I only knew about Terry. … I wish everybody well. It’s a tough moment for the individuals involved. It’s a tough moment for the league.”
On how sports betting has impacted players and coaches
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Shaq: ‘All these guys knew what was at stake’
Shaquille O’Neal reacts to news of the FBI’s gambling investigation involving Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups.
JJ Redick, Los Angeles Lakers head coach:
“We’ve had two meetings on it already. It’s obviously on the front of everyone’s awareness given the last two years.”
Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics forward and VP of the National Basketball Players Association:
“That whole world was introduced a couple years ago, and I don’t think they took players into consideration — especially with the energy, the behavior that goes around gambling and how that directly correlates with players. We don’t benefit from any of the profits, but we’ve got to deal with a lot of the extra negativity and scrutiny behind all the gambling stuff. On top of that, it creates more integrity issues. I’m not sure what the answer is, but definitely something that people have to spend more time having conversations about. …
“There’s been little to no conversation around [protecting players]. It’s all about, ‘How can we increase business and revenue?'”
Billups, Rozier among 34 arrested by FBI
Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Heat guard Terry Rozier, and former Cavaliers player and assistant coach Damon Jones were arrested as part of a pair of wide-ranging investigations related to illegal sports betting and rigged poker games backed by the Mafia, authorities announced.
• FAQ: What we know about the cases
• Leaguewide reaction: Players, coaches weigh in
• Timeline: Sports betting scandals since 2018
• Wetzel: True cost of sports betting
• Greenberg: How FBI says poker games were rigged
Nikola Vucevic, Chicago Bulls center:
“I think in general, gambling is a big problem, not only here, but worldwide. I think now that it’s got into sports here, lot of people are involved in it. A lot of people get stuck, and it’s hard to get out. All you gotta do is download the app. We as players feel it a lot when we step on the court. Before you used to hear, ‘Vuc, get a win.’ Or, ‘Hey, do this and that.’ Now it’s like, ‘Hey, my parlay is 10 rebounds.’ Honestly, it pisses me off, because it’s disrespectful to the game.”
Jamahl Mosley, Orlando Magic head coach:
“Before the year even starts, we address the team right away, talking about all the things that go on. The league sends memos, we watch videos about rules and regulations of the gambling and betting. We have done that with our team. [The FBI investigations] was another reminder of what we have to do. We had another conversation with the group, and the more that is going on, the more that we have to continue to talk to the group about the things that are happening. And the league does a great job of making sure that we communicate that to our guys and the organization.”
Bickerstaff:
“You know that information has been monetized now, and whether you know you like it or not, it’s a part of it. It is what it is. So you have to be extremely careful. And we’ve had a ton of conversations with our guys about that and just how sensitive it is. … You’re having an innocent conversation with a friend of yours, but who knows what that friend does with that information. We’ve talked about it, the conversations you have to have with your own families now about the importance of that information. …
“When you get in bed with sports betting and gambling, there’s a lot of things that come with it, and earlier on in this process, everybody’s going to have to weed their way through it until you become accustomed to it. But, you know, all money ain’t good money. And this puts a ton of pressure on our guys, on coaching staffs, on families that, I don’t know if we were aware of or prepared for, but it’s definitely made it much more difficult on all of us.”
On the NBA’s expanding role in sports betting:
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Chuck and Kenny react to NBA gambling investigations
Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith get into a disagreement about whether Terry Rozier’s and Chauncey Billups’ situations are a result of a gambling addiction or if it’s “pure stupidity.”
Green:
“I’m not going to sit here and be like, ‘Man, y’all partner with a gambling company and you open a can of worms.’ That can of worms [will] be opened with partnering with gambling companies or not. Partnering with gambling companies won’t make gambling more accessible to us. The accessibility is what it is. If you’re an American or you live in America and you live in states where gambling, sports betting is legal, it pops up right on your phone. Whether the league is partnered with the company or not, that ain’t changing nothing. So I think those partnerships are going to continue to grow. …
“Our league has done an incredible job of growing this game. Partnerships come when you grow the game, and for all of us, from ownership to players, it grows the pot. And I haven’t heard anyone complain about the pot growing. …
“It’s going to keep changing. In more and more states [sports gambling] is going to become legal, so that’s not going away. If anything, it’s going to go further in the direction that it’s already headed.”
Stephen Curry, Warriors guard:
“I think on the whole everyone is very mindful of what to do and what not to do. It’s not just an NBA thing. This is new territory for everybody. We all are very responsible. The integrity of the game is fine.”
Mitch Johnson, Spurs head coach:
“The league, the game and the business of the league have evolved. So, we just have to be aware of how things evolve in this business, right? In our little world, sometimes we get lost in that. So, it’s very important for us to continue to just be educated and mindful of everything that has to do with our business.”
ESPN’s Jamal Collier, Vincent Goodwill, Dave McMenamin, Anthony Slater, Michael C. Wright and Ohm Youngmisuk contributed to this story.
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