Major controversy has hit the NBA, and all NBA Commissioner Adam Silver wants to do is cover it up. At least, that’s what could be interpreted by what a wild beginning to the NBA season we have watched. But, for the people who are ill-informed, here is an article covering the major gambling probe begun by the FBI and what Adam Silver has done to distract people from it.
Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups
On October 23rd, 2025, the FBI arrested over 30 people with ties to an illegal gambling allegation, as well as money laundering and wire-fraud conspiracy. Among those 30 people were Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trailblazers coach and former player Chauncey Billups. Federal authorities tied these people to arranging an illegal gambling ring that was also affiliated with the New York Mafia.
Terry Rozier is no stranger to gambling allegations, as he had his own sports-betting controversy in 2023 while on the Hornets. The NBA, however, cleared him and allowed him to continue playing for the Miami Heat. Now, these illegal gambling allegations are also revisiting his suspicious betting activity from the Miami Heat, so it was not quite a surprise that Terry Rozier is among those apprehended. Chauncey Billups’ allegations, however, were very unexpected.
Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups have both been suspended and at first it was believed that they would receive pay as usual. That notion was soon proven wrong, as neither of them will be paid during their leave. Fittingly, both Rozier’s and Billups’ lawyers have denied the allegations, with Rozier’s lawyer stating that Terry is “getting completely screwed.” FBI Director Kash Patel stated “the fraud is mind-boggling.”
The Clippers’ Aspiration Controversy
Furthermore, during the summer, the Los Angeles Clippers were put under fire after journalist Pablo Torres brought to light investigations that he had made regarding Kawhi Leonard’s sponsorship deal with now-bankrupt company Aspiration. Aspiration was a company that went bankrupt and had signed Kawhi Leonard to a 4 year, 28-million-dollar contract. Pablo Torres, however, claimed that Kawhi Leonard signed a “no show deal” that didn’t require him to actually do anything.
Torres went even further, claiming that Steve Ballmer, Los Angeles Clippers owner who reportedly invested in Aspiration, was using the deal to pay Kawhi Leonard more money while circumventing the salary cap. The NBA the launched an investigation. This could bring about extreme punishment should the NBA’s investigation find evidence supporting this claim. Punishments could include taking many draft picks from the Clippers, fining Ballmer large sums of money, or even voiding Kawhi Leonard’s contract entirely and preventing him from rejoining the Clippers.
Adam Silver’s Response
Though Adam Silver has directly commented on both of these situations, respectively, I would argue that he has used the beginning of the NBA season to at least distract people from what is happening. You read it right. I believe he is rigging games to make people more excited that the NBA is back and less focused on the controversy surrounding big name players, coaches and owners. But this claim does not come without evidence, I promise.
A Surge of Scoring
For starters, Adam Silver has illuminated box scores with stellar performances from the game’s biggest stars. Tyrese Maxey, coming off a disappointing team performance last season, has scored 39 or more points in 3 of his last 4 games, each and every one of those games ending a Sixers win. Rookie V.J. Edgecombe opened his rookie year with 34 points, the most a rookie has scored for Philly in their debut since Wilt Chamberlain.
There have been four 50-point games since the season started. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Austin Reaves, Lauri Markannen, and Aaron Gordon have each scored those. Gordon shot 17/21 from the field in his 50-point game. And yet, his Nuggets lost as Steph Curry also went nuclear, scoring 42 points and draining clutch three after clutch three. Victor Wembanyama, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Edwards, Cam Thomas, Jaylen Brown, and Luka Doncic (twice) have scored at least 40 points. For context, the NBA is four games in for most teams.
But enough about individual performances. The intensity of games has been stellar. The season opened up with a 124-125 double overtime shootout between the defending champions and the newly refurbished Houston Rockets. In fact, Oklahoma City would play another double-overtime game against the defending runner-up Indiana Pacers. That game was on the same night as the overtime shootout between the Denver Nuggets and the Golden State Warriors. And on October 29, four games ended with a deficit of one basket, in which two of those games had a game winning shot in the final 10 seconds.
Verdict
While obviously Adam Silver isn’t intentionally rigging these games in any way, I did want to find a reason to address the surplus in scoring along with the gambling allegations in the same article. However, if this level scoring and entertainment continues, I wouldn’t be surprised if Adam Silver himself ends up arrested by the FBI for fixing NBA games. Still, I wouldn’t mind if it does, because as a league pass owner myself, it has been entertaining to have an exciting game to watch every night.