Insider: NBA Plans Rule Changes After Betting Scandal

^{Adam Silver, lawyer and commissioner of the National Basketball Association}

Major changes to NBA rules could be introduced in the near future. Following a betting-related scandal, league management has decided to revise certain procedures to protect the integrity of competition and eliminate opportunities for manipulation. The planned measures were revealed by ESPN journalist Shams Charania, citing sources close to league leadership.

Federal authorities have already brought charges against several well-known NBA figures. Among them are player Terry Rozier, head coach Chauncey Billups, and former NBA player Damon Jones. They are accused of fraud and illegal activities related to betting.

In recent years, a practice has emerged in the NBA in which teams deliberately lose games in order to secure a higher position in the draft — a selection process that allows weaker teams to choose top young prospects from college basketball.

The league acknowledges that intentional losing and benching key players can create conditions for corruption and the spread of insider information that may be used for betting purposes.

In response, the NBA is discussing new rules aimed at preventing teams from deliberately losing games for competitive advantage — and at ensuring such decisions cannot be exploited for betting manipulation.

What do they want to change?

• Ban teams from receiving the top rookie two years in a row

The current system follows a simple logic: the worse a team performs, the more talented a player it can select at the end of the season. Some teams take advantage of this and lose games over multiple seasons.

• Fix the order of player selection in advance

League officials are considering locking in draft-related team results as early as March 1 (about six weeks before the end of the season). This would mean that even if a team intentionally loses its remaining spring games, it would not improve its chances of landing the top prospect.

All of these changes are still under discussion and could come into force no earlier than next season.

In November, Gambling Park reported that the NBA had requested mobile phones from Los Angeles Lakers staff as part of an investigation into insider betting. In addition, under pressure from the league, bookmakers may remove bets on individual player statistics from their betting lines.