Americans love basketball because it is fast-paced and unpredictable. A star player can catch fire, a single foul can shift the energy on the court, and a last-minute buzzer beater can decide it all. That volatility is the sport’s magic, and precisely why allegations that current and former National Basketball Association (NBA) players and coaches compromised the game’s integrity are so troubling… In the same indictment, Co-Conspirator 8, widely reported to be current Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, allegedly told other members of the conspiracy that key players on the Trail Blazers would not be playing that night against the Chicago Bulls and that the Trail Blazers planned to purposefully lose to increase the team’s odds of a favorable draft pick. Based on the information from Billups, other defendants made successful bets on the Bulls to win the March 24th game. Another federal indictment in which Billups is a defendant suggests ties between certain NBA players and coaches and organized crime. Needless to say, these connections are disturbing and suggest that gambling-related corruption threatens to infect professional sports.