NBA memo sheds light on league's integrity concerns after gambling-related arrests

The NBA told its 30 teams on Monday it had launched a review into how the league could protect the integrity of the game and its players after two figures were placed on leave for their alleged roles in a gambling scheme, which was investigated by the FBI.

Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups were among those arrested in the FBI operation. Former NBA player and coach Damon Jones was also arrested.

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"Given the spread of legal betting to the majority of U.S. states, the recurrence of integrity issues across sports, and the emergence of novel betting formats and markets, this is an opportune time to carefully reassess how sports betting should be regulated and how sports leagues can best protect themselves, their players, and their fans," the memo from the NBA’s legal department to the team read, according to The Associated Press.

Rozier was accused of conspiring with associates to help them win bets based on statistical performance in a game he was playing for the Charlotte Hornets in March 2023.

Sportsbooks detected an unusual pattern of wagers on the Charlotte game in question, including prop bets involving Rozier. The bets were flagged and immediately brought to the league’s attention. The league initially cleared Rozier of any wrongdoing.

"While the unusual betting on Terry Rozier’s ‘unders’ in the March 2023 game was detected in real time because the bets were placed legally, we believe there is more that can be done from a legal/regulatory perspective to protect the integrity of the NBA and our affiliated leagues," the league said.

ARRESTS OF NBA'S TERRY ROZIER, CHAUNCEY BILLUPS LATEST CHAPTER OF GAMBLING SCANDALS IN THE SPORTS WORLD

"In particular, proposition bets on individual player performance involve heightened integrity concerns and require additional scrutiny."

The league said it would take a look at injury reports as part of its investigation. Jones was accused of tipping off associates to the injury status of LeBron James and Anthony Davis before a Los Angeles Lakers game. There was no indication that James or Davis had any knowledge of what Jones was accused of doing.

"With sports betting now occupying such a significant part of the current sports landscape, every effort must be made to ensure that players, coaches, and other NBA personnel are fully aware of the dire risks that gambling can impose upon their careers and livelihoods; that our injury disclosure rules are appropriate; and that players are protected from harassment from bettors," the league added.

A Congressional committee asked NBA Commissioner Adam Silver for a briefing by the end of this week to discuss topics including how "gaps, if any, in existing regulations that allow illegal betting schemes to occur."

Silver has maintained that he would prefer federal regulation on sports betting instead of the current state-by-state approach.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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HGTV star Christina Haack breaks down how she stays close friends with both her ex-husbands

Christina Haack has figured out how to be friends with two of her ex-husbands.

Haack, 42, opened up about her unconventional friendship with both Tarek El Moussa and Ant Anstead as she navigates another messy divorce from her third husband.

"It really takes everyone in a co-parenting situation wanting to make it work," she told People. "I have people message me all the time to be like, ‘How did you do that? My husband's ex hates me,' or 'I could never hang out with my ex.’"

Haack has learned to co-parent her kids, Taylor and Brayden, with El Moussa and has even integrated her new boyfriend, Chris Larocca, into the mix. "It takes all of us, and right now there's four people in this situation – myself, my boyfriend Chris, Tarek and Heather – and all of us want to get along," she explained. "All of us work hard to make sure that we're all getting along."

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The HGTV star noted there is one thing both she and El Moussa are naturally inclined to do.

"I'm really good at letting go of the past, so is Tarek," Haack, who was married to El Moussa from 2009 until 2018, noted. "We can be over something in literally like .5 seconds and never want to talk about it again."

"So I think it's just a maturity level and us putting the kids first and then the rest is kind of easy," she added.

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Haack believes her split from her third ex-husband Josh Hall helped improve her relationships. Haack and Hall filed their own divorce petitions in July 2024, each citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for the dissolution of their marriage. They finalized their divorce in August.

After a rocky divorce from Anstead, whom Haack shares a son with, she's finally found middle ground with the TV host. Anstead and Haack were married from 2018 until 2021.

"When Josh and I split up, Ant and I immediately had a heart-to-heart, and he said, ‘I want to co-parent Hudson. Like you and Tarek do.’ Not those words exactly, but he said, ‘I want to have a great co-parenting relationship with you,'" she explained to the outlet.

After deciding on a "fresh start," the two have been spending time together with their son, Hudson.

"We go to soccer games. We sit next to each other at school. We do birthday parties together," Haack said. "And thank God, because that would make me so sad if growing up, Hudson, didn't get to have those things with us."

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While unconventional, Haack said the team effort has allowed the families to be closer than ever.

"I think my kids love that they know anyone can come over here, and we could do Christmas together, and we could do parties together," she said. "So it's nice for the kids. It's not weird at all. It's wonderful."

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