"I don’t know where this ends" - Shams Charania warns the NBA's gambling scandal could get much worse

Adam Silver thought that after the whole Kawhi Leonard situation and the salary cap violations, things would finally calm down and he could fully focus on the NBA’s 80th season. He was wrong.

Even though the Kawhi case was one of the biggest controversies in recent years, on Thursday morning, the league was rocked by the arrest of more than 30 people connected to fixing sports games.

What’s crucial for the league is that current Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and nine-year NBA veteran Terry Rozier III were taken into custody. Among those arrested was former Cleveland Cavaliers player Damon Jones. So it is no surprise that the man who broke the news, Shams Charania, expressed uncertainty about where the league is headed after this scandal.

“Chuck, I’m just going to go with numbers,” Shams said on the “Inside the NBA” show. “A year and a half ago, we had about five codefendants and incidents. A year and a half later, we have over 30. So, we’re about 35 in total now. So, I’m just looking at math, I don’t know where we’re going to be in a year and a half, I don’t know where we’re going to be in six months, eight months, but the trajectory is there, and there’s no doubt. The FBI, sources told me today, are seeing who else will cooperate here from now.”

Could it be more?

Silver’s leadership is now facing its biggest test yet. Reportedly, the NBA had conducted its own internal investigation into game-fixing and found almost nothing. At the same time, the FBI uncovered an entire network of people allegedly connected to Mafia families.

What should worry Silver even more is that Charania hinted this might not be the end, new shocking revelations could surface, possibly involving even more high-profile names tied to illegal betting. This led to Charles Barkley going off on Rozier amid the scandal.

“This ain’t got nothing to do with no damn gambling addiction,” Chuck passionately asserted on “Inside the NBA”. “These dudes are stupid. There’s never a reason for a player to fix the game,” Barkley continued. “Him betting, giving people information, or taking himself out of games — how much is he going to benefit taking himself out the game to get unders? He’s making $26 million!”

The biggest scandal in the history of the league

One thing is certain, even though the NBA confirmed after their own investigation that Malik Beasley wasn’t involved, he’s still not completely off the hook. If the FBI uncovers new details in his case, he could face the same fate as Jontay Porter, who was suspended for five years.

It’s truly unreal that at a time when players and coaches are signing multi-million-dollar contracts, especially Rozier, who’s in the fourth year of his $96 million deal, and Billups, who reportedly earns just under $5 million annually after making over $100 million as a player, some are still allegedly involved in fixing games or illegal sports betting.

No one knows where things are headed, but one thing is clear — this is very likely the most dramatic period in the league’s history. If everything surrounding the Leonard case turns out to be true and if new information about this scandal continues to emerge, the NBA will be washing this stain off its reputation for a long time.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 24, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

“I don’t know where this ends” – Shams Charania warns the NBA’s gambling scandal could get much worse

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