NBA officials reportedly met with a U.S. Congressional committee Wednesday following the FBI arrests of Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier for alleged illegal gambling, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The meeting was meant to serve as a briefing covering the league’s partnerships with sportsbooks. It was also supposed to cover measures aimed at preventing “illegal use of non-public information,” per Charania.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver is reportedly not among the league officials at the hearing, which is comprised of Congressional staff members, not lawmakers, per The Athletic. NBA officials are in Washington, DC to meet with the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee.
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Billups, Rozier and former Cleveland Cavaliers player and assistant coach Damon Jones were among the 30+ individuals arrested by the FBI in October in connection with two separate, but related, gambling probes.
In the wake of those arrests, the NBA’s partnerships with sportsbooks have come under scrutiny, especially after Rozier and Jones were accused of sharing inside information with bettors who used that information to place — and win — wagers.
Rozier was accused of telling a co-conspirator how long he would play in a specific game so that co-conspirator could place wagers on Rozier’s unders in that contest.
Jones was accused of giving inside information on the status of injured NBA players to bettors. In one such instance, it’s believed Jones may have informed bettors that Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James would miss a contest due to an ankle injury.
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Billups was accused of knowingly participating in an illegal, rigged poker game involving the Mafia.
Billups — who was coaching the Portland Trail Blazers — and Rozier — a member of the Miami Heat — were placed on leave by the NBA shortly after their arrests. With Billups on leave, the Trail Blazers announced Tiago Splitter would take over as the team’s interim coach.
At the time of that announcement, the NBA stated it would “continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities.” Wednesday’s meeting could be the next step in that process, though it’s unclear if the briefing will lead to immediate action by either side.
