Overview

The 2025 NBA Gambling Scandal refers to a series of federal arrests and indictments in late October 2025 involving current and former National Basketball Association (NBA) players, coaches and associates, as well as Mafia and organized crime groups, who were accused of participating in rigged poker games and other illegal sports gambling operations. Notable figures arrested for their alleged involvement include Damon Jones and Chauncey Billups of the Portland Trail Blazers and Terry Rozier of the Miami Heat.

Following the announcement of the indictments, the scandal became a viral topic of discussion online, spawning memes, jokes and conspiracy theories that mocked the alleged corruption, connection to the Italian-American Mafia and the integrity of the league. Many notably criticized the NBA and similar pro-sports leagues for what they perceived as rampant promotion and sponsorships related to sports gambling and betting amid the controversy.

Background

On October 23rd, 2025, authorities announced that Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former Cleveland Cavaliers player and assistant coach Damon Jones were arrested as part of an investigation into alleged illegal sports betting and rigged poker games, reportedly backed by the Mafia.^[2]

A total of 34 individuals were arrested as a result of the investigation, which involved tens of millions of dollars. During the press conference held by FBI Director Kash Patel and law enforcement officials, they stated that the charges involved four Mafia families and organized crime networks.

On October 24th, ESPN's Tip-Off program discussed the events of the scandal and the press conference, uploading the video to its official YouTube channel, receiving over 2.7 million views, 29,000 likes and 9,300 comments in six days.

Online Reactions

The high-profile scandal involving the NBA, the mafia and several prominent athletes rapidly garnered virality and spawned reactions and memes online in late October 2025 as it spread on social media.

For example, on October 23rd, 2025, Twitter / X^[5] user @Spreadapedia tweeted a meme mocking the NBA's response and what they perceived as hypocritical behavior from the organization due to partnerships with sports-gambling companies like DraftKings, receiving over 2 million views and 40,000 likes in a week.

Also on October 23rd, Redditor Aggravating_Money992 shared a clip of the press conference when the FBI said "Toronto Rangers" instead of the "Toronto Raptors" on the /r/sports^[3] subreddit, receiving over 21,000 upvotes and 1,500 comments in six days.

That same day, Redditor AashyLarry reposted a meme poking fun at Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups, originally shared by Utah Jazz player Kevin Love, to the /r/nba^[4] subreddit, garnering over 6,600 upvotes and 220 comments in a similar timeframe.

Later on October 23rd, the X^[6] account @LegionHoops tweeted a clip of ESPN purportedly removing its ESPN Bet logo during a segment discussing the scandal that day, receiving over 4.2 million views and 86,000 likes in a week.

ESPN just quietly removed their “ESPN Bet” logo during a segment on Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups’ gambling arrests this morning

You can’t make this up. 💀💀💀 pic.twitter.com/gGFmVCqhR0

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) October 23, 2025

On October 24th, 2025, Vice^[1] published an article titled "The Internet Can't Stop Making Jokes About That NBA Gambling Scandal," which highlighted numerous examples of memes and other social media posts mocking the news story.

On October 29th, Redditor Devil_0fHellsKitchen posted a Starter Pack meme to the /r/starterpacks^[7] subreddit referencing the controversy, garnering over 120 upvotes and 10 comments in a day.

Search Interest

External References