As the NBA faces one of its biggest scandals, headlines have focused on the star names involved, but a deeper story lies behind that involves organized crime and a gambling network that stretches far beyond the court.
Federal investigators announced more than 30 arrests this month in relation to illegal sports betting and rigged poker games, revealing connections between professional basketball figures and members of New York’s most notorious mafia families. According to The New York Times, the operation linked the Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese families to an underground gambling ring that recruited NBA insiders to lend credibility to high-stakes poker games and betting operations.
Among those charged were Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA player Damon Jones. Federal prosecutors allege the group participated in or benefited from schemes involving rigged poker games equipped with X-ray card tables, special sunglasses and manipulated shuffling machines used to cheat players out of millions. The Associated Press said that the gambling network operated in Manhattan, Miami, Las Vegas and the Hamptons, often under mafia protection.
While much of the coverage has focused on the downfall of NBA figures, fewer outlets have examined the criminal infrastructure behind the operation. The Guardian said that “the Bonanno, Gambino and Genovese crime families … had pre-existing control over non-rigged illegal poker games around New York City and became involved in the rigged poker games, taking a cut of the proceeds and enforcing the collection of debts.”
“It has nothing to do with legal gambling and everything to do with those in positions of power in places like the NBA getting in bed with La Cosa Nostra,” said FBI Director Kash Patel, warning that the operation involved “acts of extortion, fraud, money-laundering and wire fraud.”
The FBI’s statement confirmed that intimidation and violence were used to collect debts when players or participants lost large sums, further underscoring the mafia’s involvement. Yet as the story gained traction online, much of the narrative focused on the star athletes rather than the criminal networks that enabled them.
In response to the scandal, federal authorities are turning their attention to the NBA’s leadership. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is expected to testify before Congress following the indictments related to the scandal. A letter from the House Committee on Energy and Commerce has requested a formal briefing with Silver by Oct. 31, as lawmakers seek to understand how such large-scale corruption could occur under the league’s oversight.
NBA players have also voiced frustration about how quickly the scandal has shifted from structural corruption to a player-driven narrative.
“Me personally, that whole world was introduced a couple years ago, and I don’t think they took players into consideration, especially with the energy and the behavior that goes around gambling and how that directly correlates to players,” said Celtics forward Jaylen Brown in an interview with Sports Illustrated. “We don’t benefit from any of the profits or anything like that, but we’ve got to deal with a lot of the extra negativity and scrutiny behind all the gambling stuff.”
Legal experts say this scandal is a test for both the NBA and federal regulators, especially as sports betting becomes increasingly normalized through league sponsorships and mobile apps. If organized crime groups can infiltrate these spaces by exploiting relationships with athletes, it poses a risk not just to the league’s image, but to the integrity of professional sports.
As investigations continue, questions remain about how much the NBA knew and whether federal oversight can keep pace with a sports landscape increasingly intertwined with gambling. For now, the public narrative remains focused on players, but the deeper story may be the one unfolding behind closed doors, where organized crime continues to bet on the game.
