Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and former Cleveland Cavaliers player and assistant coach Damion Jones were among 34 people arrested as part of a wide-ranging gambling scandal, the FBI announced on Thursday.
The news has sent shockwaves through the sports world, leading to stunned reactions and more and more questions about the bombshell scandal.
While Billups was charged as part of a movie-esque illegal poker scheme, Rozier’s alleged involvement was related to suspicious betting activity regarding his performance and early removal during an NBA game. Rozier allegedly told friends that he would leave a game early on March 23, 2003, and it led to suspicious betting activity resulting in over $200,000 in wagers placed by bettors on”under” prop bets for his statistics. After Rozier started the game for the Charlotte Hornets, he left with a supposed foot injury after playing less than 10 minutes, and he finished “under” his prop totals for points, assists, and three-pointers.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr addressed the NBA gambling scandal during a press conference on Thursday night, and he used his platform as an opportunity to offer perspective on the reality of the pressure the sports betting industry puts on athletes, coaches, and organizations.
“I’ve gotten some emails in the past from people I don’t know saying ‘hey thanks a lot I had money on the game tonight and you screwed up by subbing so-and-so in.'”
Steve Kerr on the pressure sports betting puts on players and coaches in today’s NBA in light of the gambling… pic.twitter.com/rkgoUhg5aQ
— KNBR (@KNBR) October 24, 2025
“I think the biggest thing is that our players face a lot of wrath from fans,” Kerr began.
“I’ve talked to our guys,” Kerr continued. “Our guys get nasty social media posts from people who have bet on games. That’s the thing that I don’t like about this the most. Our players should not have to deal with that. But they do, and probably would anyway, even if we didn’t have a partnership with these companies. It’s just kind of the modern life. You know, social media, everyone having access to everyone else. Yeah, it’s rough. I mean, I feel bad for our guys.”
“I’ve gotten some emails in the past from people I don’t know, saying, ‘Hey, thanks a lot. I had money on the game tonight, and you screwed up by subbing so-and-so in, or something like that,” Kerr continued. “I’ve gotten those too. It’s weird.”
This is definitely an increasingly problematic issue with so many fans betting on sports, playing fantasy sports, and having social media access to voice frustrations to athletes. It’s hard to tune out the noise, especially when people can be hateful and even make threats.