Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups arrested in FBI investigation on sports betting
Oct 23, 2025
Sylvain Sultat
Rudy Gobert denounces sports betting issues in NBA: « I receive messages after every game »
NBA - In an interview with AFP, Rudy Gobert spoke out against the growing impact of sports betting on the NBA. The French center of the Minnesota Timberwolves says he receives messages from bettors after each game, while calling on the League to defend the integrity of the sport.
Oct 22, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) walks towards the locker room before playing in a game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images
Photo Credit : © Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images
Rudy Gobert (7’1″, 33) calls for firmness. Speaking to AFP, the French center of the Minnesota Timberwolves considered it « important for the NBA to be strict regarding the integrity of our sport, » as a major fixed betting scandal currently shakes the North American league.
« I’ve never been a fan of sports betting, maybe that makes me a purist. In recent years, it’s become very important compared to when I started in the NBA, » Gobert said after his team’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers (128-110).
The three-time All-Star, drafted in 2013, played at a time when sports betting was still prohibited in most American states before its legalization in 2018. Since then, the omnipresence of betting has worried many professional basketball stakeholders.
A scandal splashing the NBA
These statements come in a particularly tense context. On Thursday, Portland coach Chauncey Billups, Miami player Terry Rozier and former player Damon Jones (6’3″, 49) were arrested as part of an FBI investigation into a betting network exploiting information from inside locker rooms, or encouraging certain players to fix their statistics.
Last year, Jontay Porter was already banned for life for similar actions. The NBA had also investigated Terry Rozier (6’1″, 31) two years ago but couldn’t sanction him due to lack of evidence.
« After each game, I receive messages »
Rudy Gobert says he’s aware of the risks players face. « I’m very conscious of all this, so I’m very careful about who I surround myself with, » he explained to AFP. « People in my circle know very well that I don’t want them betting on games, and especially, I don’t want them revealing any information. »
The Timberwolves player even confides being directly targeted: « After each game, I receive messages, as do members of my family, from unhappy bettors because I got too many rebounds or not enough, or because I scored too many points or not enough. »
Mandatory prevention protocol
To limit abuses, the NBA requires each franchise to follow a prevention protocol. « We did it at the beginning of the season, they explain the rules, things not to do, like sharing as little information as possible about the team, » Gobert specifies.
As the fixed betting scandal continues to shake the League, the Picardy native calls for a firm response to protect the credibility of the game and player safety.
Gabriel Pantel-Jouve is the founder and editor-in-chief of BeBasket, which he has been running since 2010 (formerly known as Catch & Shoot). Having studied at the École Publique de Journalisme de Tours and two universities in North America, he has developed his expertise in French basketball, from the National League to amateur divisions, over the past 20 years. Alongside this, he is also involved in the development of clubs in the Montpellier area.
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