The NBA Made a Deal With The Devil

When the FBI announced its arrests in October 2025, the names weren’t fringe guys at the end of the bench. Terry Rozier had made about $160 million in his career. Chauncey Billups was a Finals MVP, a Hall of Famer, and the head coach in Portland. Damon Jones spent 11 years in the league. All three got swept up with more than 30 other people across two federal cases. One is about gamblers betting on NBA games with inside information, and the other is about Mafia-backed poker games that prosecutors say were rigged. The part that should bother every fan is the timeline. The Charlotte game at the center of Rozier’s case happened in March 2023, when he left after about nine minutes with a foot issue. The NBA looked into it and said in 2024 that it didn’t find a rule violation. Jontay Porter got banned for life that same year. So how did the league miss what the feds say was happening the whole time? Jones has since pleaded guilty. Rozier has pleaded not guilty, and his trial is set for February 2027. This is what happened to the NBA, and why it probably isn’t over.