The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder have started 2-0 but had to go to double-overtime in two thrillers — and watch Shai Gilgeous-Alexander look like an MVP again, averaging 45 points a game — to get there. Victor Wembanyama overwhelmed elite defenders on the Mavs and has left the league shaking its head in disbelief.
And Golden State is off to a fast 2-0 start thanks to Stephen Curry doing Stephen Curry things.
Those showcases of athleticism, creativity and drama are exactly what NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has wanted — he has led the charge to bring the NBA’s focus back to the court. The opening week of the 2025-26 NBA season has given the league and its fans everything it could want…
And yet the buzz around the league is about scandal.
Headlines Friday are focused not on Curry or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but on the arrest of Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier on two federal indictments tied to illegal sports gambling and rigged poker games run by East Coast organized crime families.
Talking to people around the league on Monday, the discussion was more about how big this latest scandal might grow and who else might get caught up in it. There was little talk about the games (although discussion of how Wemby isn’t even near his peak yet comes up). These federal charges have shoved the league’s preseason controversy about Kawhi Leonard and an endorsement contract with a Clippers sponsor — which includes allegations of salary cap circumvention (something the Clippers deny) — to the back burner for now.
The distraction from the product on the court is far from a new issue for the league — even last June, during a fantastic NBA Finals, the topic of television ratings became the topic, much to the frustration of Silver.
“It’s frustrating,” Silver admitted at the time. “People come up to me and the first thing they ask is, ‘How are the ratings?’ instead of saying, ‘What an incredible series this has been.’”
Then, on the day the Thunder and Pacers were set to play a deciding Game 7, the topic became Kevin Durant being traded to Houston.
Yet the game keeps finding ways to entertain and grab our attention.
There was 76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe scoring 34 points in his NBA debut, the most since Wilt Chamberlain.
There has been a renewed focus this season from NBA broadcasters on keeping the focus on the game, rather than comparing eras, throwing out hot takes, or only talking about potential trades. That works when we can’t take our eyes off the court — and so far we have not been able to pry our eyes away.
The clouds from the latest scandal are not going away, the league can only hope they don’t get much darker.
And believe that the sunshine from what’s happening on the court only gets brighter and breaks through those clouds.