The NBA currently has three players under investigation for potential gambling concerns, and the league and players’ association are in talks to take further steps to curb what is becoming a growing issue.
In a report on ESPN.com, David Purdum wrote that both the NBA and NBPA are in favor of “Limitations on certain types of bets to reduce the risk of manipulation and combat athlete abuse by gamblers.
The news comes just days after Brooklyn Nets‘ $180 million star and former NBA champion Michael Porter Jr. commented on the issue of gambling in the NBA.
Porter’s brother, Jontay Porter, was recently banned for life by commissioner Adam Silver after he pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges for intentionally manipulating his performance on the court.
NBA’s Potential Gambling Limits
After the rise of recent gambling inquiries on multiple NBA players, the league and the players’ association are in favor of limiting the types of bets available for people to wager on players.
Protecting the integrity of our game is paramount, and we believe reasonable limitations on certain prop bets should be given due consideration,” an NBA spokesperson said in a statement to ESPN. “Any approach should aim to reduce the risk of performance manipulation while ensuring that fans who wish to place prop bets can continue to do so via legal, regulated markets.”
The types of bets that would be limited would include the ‘under’ prop bets for two-way players. Purdum wrote that the NBA has already reached out to its sportsbook partners to stop allowing those types of wagers to be placed.
The news of potential gambling limitations comes after Porter, of the Nets, recently commented on a podcast about the type of influence an individual player can have when it comes to the bets placed on them.
“Think about it. If you can get all your homies rich by telling them, ‘Yo, bet $10,000 on my under. This one game I’m gonna act like I got an injury and I’m gonna sit out. I’m gonna come out [of the game] after three minutes.’ And they all get a little bag because you did it one game,” Porter said. “Obviously my brother went through his situation, Malik Beasley is going through a situation right now. Terry Rozier was in some hot water. But the whole sports gambling entity, bro, it’s bad and it’s only gonna get worse.”
“Think about it if you can get all your homies rich by telling yo bet 10K on my under..this one game imma act like I got an injury and they all get a lil bag… some people come from nothing & they think like that.”
(Via @onenightsteiny)
Porter’s comments were met with criticism, especially considering his brother was the latest player banned from the NBA due to his involvement in gambling.
Players Under Current Investigation
As mentioned, along with Jontay Porter, Rozier and Beasley are currently under federal gambling investigations.
Rozier last played for the Miami Heat last season, and his potential involvement was uncovered this summer. There were reportedly 30 bets placed on him in a span of 46 minutes during a 2023 game for a total of more than $13,000, all of which ended up cashing.
The NBA investigated it at the time, but found no evidence for unusual activity. But now, Rozier is under the same federal investigation resulting in Porter’s ban. He has yet to comment on his potential involvement, and though he is entering the final year of his contract with the Heat, his future in the league remains uncertain.
A similar situation can be said for Beasley, who, unlike Rozier, is an unrestricted free agent after having a historic season the Detroit Pistons last year, and has yet to sign with a team for the 2025-26 season.
“At least one prominent U.S. sportsbook detected unusually heavy betting interest on Beasley’s statistics beginning around January 2024,” Shams Charania wrote in June.
Most recently, Beasley was evicted from his Detroit apartment for reportedly owing more than $21,000 in unpaid rent, and is being sued by his former marketing agency.
Rozier and Beasley potentially face the same fate as Porter, with a lifetime ban, a punishment within the ability of the NBA and Silver to dish out. As of now, there are no further updates, but the league and players’ association remain in lockstep to create gambling limits as a possible solution.
NBA Responds To Gambling Concerns After $180M Star’s Warning