The Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers won after the arrests of Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups

Speaking about the arrests for the first time, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said he was “deeply disturbed” by the events of the past few days.

“There is nothing more important to the league and its fans than the integrity of the competition,” he told Amazon Prime. “So I had a pit in my stomach. It was very upsetting.”

Silver also said that the NBA’s investigation into Rozier’s actions in March 2023, when there was “aberrant betting” in a game he played for the Charlotte Hornets against the New Orleans Pelicans, did not find anything untoward.

“The matter has been brought to our attention by regulators and betting companies,” he added.

“Then we looked into that situation and we were very transparent about it. While there was this anomalous bet, we honestly couldn’t find anything.

“The federal government has subpoena power… [it] It can threaten to put people in jail, and it can do all kinds of things that the university office can’t do.

He added: “So, we have been working with them ever since. Of course, what they announced yesterday was an indictment.”

“Two and a half years later, he hasn’t been convicted of anything, in fairness to Terry.

“Obviously it doesn’t look good, but he’s been placed on administrative leave, so it’s a balance here between protecting people’s rights and investigating.”