NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has officially addressed the growing scandal surrounding sports betting in the league, defending the NBA’s ties to legalized gambling while warning players about the severe consequences of insider activity.
Speaking at a press conference this week, Silver broke his silence on the federal investigations involving players Malik Beasley and Terry Rozier, who are reportedly under scrutiny for possible betting irregularities linked to proposition bets.
“The fact that there might be insider trading doesn’t mean you’re necessarily going to shut down those public markets. But often the way they are catching insider traders is because they have a system, a complex system, that detects aberrational behavior.”
“We do not have control over the specific bets that are made on our game. I do think some of the bets are problematic. Nobody in this league, any player who engages in that activity, there’s no question they are putting their livelihood at risk. It’s a message that’s important that we deliver to our players or anyone who is in our community.”
Silver drew a clear parallel to Wall Street, where insider trading exists, but tight surveillance and regulatory frameworks allow misconduct to be tracked and prosecuted. In his view, legalized sports betting brings issues into the light, allowing the league and authorities to monitor patterns and catch wrongdoing early.
That visibility, Silver argued, is far preferable to the opaque world of underground gambling, where such behavior went unchecked for decades.
But Silver didn’t sugarcoat the risks either.
He acknowledged that proposition bets, which allow gamblers to wager on specific player stats like points, rebounds, or turnovers, are particularly concerning. These bets fall more squarely within a player’s direct control and are therefore more vulnerable to manipulation.
Still, the NBA won’t be walking away from its gambling partnerships, which generate millions in revenue annually and have become embedded into the fan experience. Instead, Silver emphasized education, monitoring, and strict consequences as the league’s way forward.
The commissioner’s comments come at a critical time. Malik Beasley, who just finished a season with the Detroit Pistons, is not only under federal investigation but is also being sued by his barber, dentist, and former sports agency, making him a central figure in both financial and legal drama.
Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, also reportedly under investigation, has yet to comment publicly. Neither player has been formally charged, but the NBA is fully cooperating with federal authorities as the probe continues.
The scandal has raised questions about how far players may go to profit from bets they can influence and what safeguards are in place to stop them. Silver’s stance is clear: the league won’t abandon the betting marketplace, but it also won’t tolerate abuse of it.
