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The NBA’s public relations crisis over a betting scandal that rocked the start of the league is far, far from over. We know three either active or former NBA players and coaches have been implicated — Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier, and Damon Jones.
But… a fourth could join the fray, someone from the Orlando Magic. More details are coming out on what’s become a federal investigation, and it’s said a “regular starter” for the team might be involved. No one’s been arrested yet, but the Magic might soon be entering the NBA betting storm. Keep reading, and we’ll discuss what’s going on.
Magic Player Is Flying Under The Radar
By now, everyone knows about Billups and Rozier. When both were arrested in October, it became a national story. Another sign that legalized sports betting had gone off the rails after 38 different states legalized it in the last seven years. Due to those headlines, this detail with the Magic has gone mostly unnoticed. Until now.
Prosecutors say the Orlando player told a co-conspirator in the ongoing case that most of Orlando’s starters would sit for an April 6, 2023 game against Cleveland before any of that was public. At the time, the Magic were 9-point favorites.
Armed with that tip, the conspirator dropped an $11,000 bet with an offshore book on the Cavs to cover. Cleveland ended up winning by 24. The fact that it happened offshore — and not on a licensed sports betting app — would make it harder to track. But alas, the FBI is said to have found a link.
This detail basically confirms there’s at least one more active NBA player tied into the network. The DOJ hasn’t named or charged him yet, but the fact he’s referenced at all means this thing might run deeper than anyone initially realized.
New York Times reporter Sam Amick said it was a “regular starting player” for the Magic too — so it’s not a no-name player. Obviously, we could speculate on who that starting-caliber player is, but we don’t want to jump the gun too soon.
Just How Deep Does The Betting Scandal Go?
Every new filing, every new leaked detail, makes the NBA’s betting scandal look less like a few “bad apples” and more like a sophisticated, years-long plot to cheat the sport. Heck, FBI protestors have said it’s exactly that. They used the term “just the tip of the iceberg” before.
The feds paint a picture that’s way, way bigger. They describe an operation that stretched from NBA locker rooms to mafia-backed poker rooms, a network they literally called “insider trading in professional basketball.” Private injury info. Lineup changes. Tanking plans. All funneled to bettors who then hit both offshore books and licensed partners like DraftKings and FanDuel. The money was then laundered through Cash App and Zelle, the way you repay a friend for buying dinner.
Just look at the Billups piece alone. Prosecutors say “Co-Conspirator 8” — matching Billups’ description to a tee — told an associate that Portland (the team he was coaching) planned to tank a March 2023 game against Chicago. That was the night the Blazers shut down Damian Lillard and half the roster, a move that swung the betting line five full points. The tip allegedly led to more than $100,000 in bets against Portland before anyone else knew of the resting plans.
Insider info was also the backbone of allegations against Jones. Not only did he spend 10 years as a player, he also became buddies with the face of the NBA, LeBron James. Welp, he’s accused of selling insider injury info, including whether LeBron was playing hours before the Lakers announced it.
Prosecutors quoted texts like, “Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out!” The game in question? The Bucks vs Lakers matchup just days after LeBron broke the scoring record. He didn’t play that night — and Jones allegedly made sure certain bettors knew early. And this wasn’t a one-off. The FBI says he did it again the following season, texting out injury info before a Lakers–Thunder game and pocketing a measly $2,500 for it (after making millions as a player!).
So yeah, when federal prosecutors say this scandal might run deeper than anyone thought, they’re not exaggerating. You don’t get tanking tips, injury leaks, and cross-state betting rings all orbiting the same group of people unless the problem is far bigger than one team or one player. And if one Magic starter is now tied into this too? The NBA might not even be close to the bottom of it.
Is The NBA To Blame?
Are the NBA’s hands clean here? We’re not so sure.
The Rozier allegations are not new. Before the FBI arrested him, this was a rumor-mill story during the 2024 season. So much so that the NBA opened its own investigation into the matter. The result of the investigation? Rozier was cleared by the NBA, only for the feds to come back months later and say Rozier WAS involved in some shady business.
Never one to mince words, NBA great Charles Barkley said the league “dropped the ball” by clearing Rozier’s name prematurely. We would have to agree with Sir Charles here. All this makes us confident the pain ain’t over for the NBA yet…
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