(The Hill) — Former NBA superstar Charles Barkley on Thursday called out the NBA in connection to a probe into illegal sports betting that led to the arrests of Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups.
Barkley clashed with fellow commentator Kenny Smith during an “Inside the NBA” panel on ESPN, after the latter suggested gambling addiction played a role in the scandal.
“You’re making me mad right here,” he said.
“This ain’t got nothing to do with addiction,” Barkley continued. “These dudes are stupid. You can’t, under no circumstances, fix basketball games. Under no circumstances. I love to gamble.”
The former Houston Rocket added, “Rozier makes $26 million. Him giving people information or taking himself out of games, how much is he going to benefit taking himself out of games to hit unders? He’s making $26 million.”
Smith, known as “The Jet,” pushed back and called it “illogical” for Rozier to be trying to win $50,000 with how much he already makes in a year.
“The notion that guys are making all this money and giving information, stop that,” Barkley said. “That’s got nothing to do with addiction. It’s total stupidity on those two’s parts.”
Earlier in the show, Shaquille O’Neal also said he was ashamed of those charged in connection with the scandal.
“You all know the rules, we all know the letter of the law, and it’s just unfortunate,” O’Neal said. “Innocent until proven guilty, but usually when the FBI has something, they have you.”
Rozier, Billups and over 30 other people were arrested Thursday in connection with two large gambling operations that federal prosecutors said were linked to organized crime families.
During a press conference, FBI Director Kash Patel said the detainments were part of a years-long investigation conducted across 11 states. The schemes funded La Cosa Nostra, a collection of mafia families, Patel said.
“The fraud is mind-boggling,” the FBI chief told reporters. “It’s not hundreds of dollars, it’s not thousands of dollars, it’s not tens of thousands of dollars, it’s not even millions of dollars. We’re talking about tens of millions of dollars in fraud and theft and robbery across a multiyear investigation.”
The indictments include charges of operating an illegal gambling business and conspiracies around wire fraud, money laundering and extortion.
Rozier faked an injury to leave one game in March 2023 between the New Orleans Pelicans and Charlotte Hornets, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Thursday. The player had told another co-defendant, Deniro Laster, that he would take himself out in order to let Laster bet on the game.
“Using that information, members of the group placed more than $200,000 in wagers on his ‘under’ statistics,” Tisch said during the press conference. “Rozier exited the game after just nine minutes, and those bets paid out, generating tens of thousands of dollars in profit. The proceeds were later delivered to his home, where the group counted their cash.”
Rozier played Wednesday against the Orlando Magic. He is playing his final year of a four-year, $96 million contract signed with the Hornets
Billups has been coaching the Trail Blazers since 2021. He also coached Wednesday night in his team’s 118-114 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Additionally, former Cleveland Cavaliers guard Damon Jones was also arrested Thursday.
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