NBA Commissioner Faces Senate Inquiry Over Gambling Scandal as Investigations Continue

By Solange Reyner | Monday, 10 November 2025 05:16 PM EST

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has yet to respond to a letter from the Senate Commerce Committee regarding the league’s ongoing betting scandal, according to The Hill. The committee, led by Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, sent a request in late October for information by Nov. 10 about the NBA’s gambling policies after Miami guard Terry Rozier, Portland coach Chauncey Billups, and others were indicted on federal gambling-related charges.

The letter sought details on the league’s communications with legalized sportsbooks and asked Silver to explain “the extent to which the NBA has addressed and plans to further address alleged instances of sports gambling, wagering and game rigging” to ensure players or coaches “do not have ties to organized crime.” Federal officials allege Rozier conspired with associates to help them win bets based on his statistical performance during a March 23, 2023, game with the Hornets.

Rozier played sparingly in that contest, and gamblers who wagered he would finish “under” certain statistical totals won their bets. Sportsbooks flagged unusual patterns of wagers on the Charlotte game, prompting the NBA to investigate but ultimately finding insufficient evidence to conclude Rozier violated any rules. The league lacks subpoena power, limiting its ability to compel testimony.

NBA staff met with congressional aides last week to discuss relationships with sportsbooks and other matters tied to the gambling scandals that led to the indictments of Rozier, Billups, and others. Cruz and Democrat Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the committee’s ranking member, also questioned why Rozier was cleared by NBA investigators despite federal charges against him.

Silver expressed distress over allegations of criminal gambling fraud in late October, stating, “There’s nothing more important to the league and its fans than the integrity of the competition.” He added, “And so I had a pit in my stomach,” during a halftime interview at a Boston Celtics-New York Knicks game.