Adam Silver’s NBA was barely recovering from the Kawhi Leonard controversy, but it was hit with another shocker. Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and former Cavaliers coach Damon Jones have reportedly been arrested by the FBI on separate illegal gambling charges. And just when fans thought the league’s integrity couldn’t take another hit, an FBI agent has allegedly dropped even more explosive news on the unfolding situation.

In a recent interview with the PDB podcast’s host, Patrick Bet-David, former NBA referee Tim Donaghy, who in 2007 admitted to betting on games he oversaw and providing insider information to gamblers (and was sentenced to 15 months for doing so), revealed something unheard of. “I just received a text message from one of the FBI agents that worked my case, and he basically said that they’re not going to be able to cover this up like they covered up mine,” he said. Donaghy went on to further move the curtain from what happened during the time he was acquitted.

“I think David Stern was able to put a lid on it and paint me as one bad apple, the only guy involved, and then just move on from it,” he said, recalling how the controversy was handled. “The FBI said there were six or seven other people they wanted to indict, and this got shut down from the highest level.” He went on to add that powerful figures may have influenced the outcome.

“Later, I found out that a guy by the name of Greg Andres, who was the head of the Eastern District of New York, took a job at a law firm and suddenly got all the outside legal counsel work for the NBA. So, it was a situation where David Stern really ran that whole investigation, and it got shut down by the high-level people when it came to others being involved,” he further stated.

If true, this could be a major development in the betting scandal currently brewing within the league. But the controversy didn’t emerge overnight. When you trace the sequence of events, you can see how the events have progressed over time:

• April 9, 2019: Federal authorities allege a rigged poker game backed by organized crime families (Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese). One game involving Chauncey Billups allegedly defrauded victims of over $50,000 using a shuffling machine that could read cards.

• October 2020: Prosecutors cite another rigged poker game; a $50,000 transfer from Damon Jones to Sophia Wei and then to Billups is mentioned in the indictment.

• December 2022: Investigators begin probing alleged use of “non-public game status information” by individuals tied to NBA players and coaches to place insider bets.

• February 9, 2023: Jones allegedly provided private injury info (believed to be about LeBron James) before a Lakers–Bucks game, leading to major bets on Milwaukee.

• March 23, 2023: Terry Rozier (then with the Hornets) allegedly told co-defendant Deniro Laster he’d pull himself early from a game against the Pelicans. Over $260,000 in “under” bets were placed; Rozier exited after 10 minutes.

• March 24, 2023: “Co-Conspirator 8” (believed to be Billups) allegedly revealed that the Trail Blazers were tanking before facing the Bulls. Over $100,000 was wagered, and the Bulls won 124–96.

• March 28–30, 2023: Laster and Rozier allegedly met in Charlotte to count cash winnings from the Pelicans game.

• April 6, 2023: A Magic starter allegedly tipped off a co-conspirator that the lineup would rest before facing the Cavaliers; an $11,000 bet was placed on Cleveland, who won by 24.

• September 2023: Jones allegedly requested $10,000 from a co-defendant ahead of a rigged poker game in East Hampton, NY. Co-defendant Tony Goodson reportedly coached him on cheating tactics.

• January 15, 2024: Jones allegedly provided non-public injury info (believed to concern Anthony Davis) before a Lakers–Thunder game; roughly $100,000 was bet against L.A.

• January 23, 2024: Rozier was traded to the Miami Heat; the team was reportedly unaware he was under federal investigation.

• January 26 & March 20, 2024: Raptors forward Jontay Porter allegedly conspired with others to exit early and influence betting lines in two games.

• January 13, 2025: Porter pleaded guilty to wire-fraud conspiracy, facing up to 20 years in prison.

• January 30, 2025: The Wall Street Journal reported Rozier was still under investigation for suspicious betting activity tied to the 2023 Pelicans game.

• October 23, 2025: Rozier, Billups, and Jones were arrested by the FBI for their alleged roles in the rigged poker and betting scheme.

• October 24, 2025: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver publicly addressed the scandal, calling the allegations “deeply disturbing” and reaffirming that league integrity remains the top priority.

With a bunch of controversies piled in the last couple of months, Silver might not walk that way if he has nothing to do with it. Also, the league has already taken action against the Portland head coach and the Miami point guard by suspending them for an indefinite time. But if we were to go by Tim Donaghy’s words, this would require much stricter action than just suspensions.

But again, Donaghy has a history of making bold claims without much proof to back them, so we should be taking his statement with a pinch of salt. Like, in the past, he’s alleged that the NBA deliberately rigged the 2002 Western Conference Finals to push the series to seven games, a claim later dismissed by independent investigations for lack of evidence. He’s also made sweeping accusations about widespread corruption and referee bias across the league, even suggesting he could personally sway a game’s outcome by several points, none of which were ever substantiated. At times, his more sensational remarks, including personal attacks on fellow officials, further damaged his credibility.

Nonetheless, by the looks of it, this matter is far from over, and we will be learning a lot more about it in the coming weeks. In fact, not just that, Donaghy thinks this could just be the beginning of something bigger.

Tim Donaghy warns the NBA betting scandal could be just the beginning

“I think this is just the tip of the iceberg, like you said earlier,” Donaghy told Chris Cuomo on his show “Cuomo” on The Hill’s sister network NewsNation. “I think maybe you’re going to see a bigger scandal coming out of the college level because you have these young athletes that aren’t going to make it to the next level. Somebody’s going to offer them money to maybe fix a game and only win by 12 rather than 15 and they are gonna take that money because they are gonna need a way to support their families.”

Even if there’s an argument that NIL deals are in place and college players are earning fair wages, and of course, the NBA stars make a fortune, we’ve got to understand that not everyone is making life-changing money. And if there aren’t any proper checks, these young teens are a perfect bait for the bigger minds. Now, will this prompt Adam Silver and the league to make some changes and implement stricter rules that will be something we all will have to wait and watch?