Brown criticizes the NBA: Focused only on increasing revenue, insufficient efforts to protect players from gambling influence

On October 25th Beijing time, Celtics forward Jaylen Brown expressed that, a day after NBA-associated players and coaches were arrested for alleged participation in a national gambling scandal, he feels the NBA's protection of players against sports gambling problems is inadequate.

“They (the NBA) seem to say, ‘You make this much money, so you should be able to handle all the extra negative situations, including those who come to talk to you about parlay bets,’” Brown said before the Celtics game against the Knicks. “When money is involved, it creates a negative atmosphere around the games and players... If there had been more open discussions earlier, some of these situations could have been avoided.”

Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Heat guard PJ Tucker are among dozens federally charged. It is alleged that Rozier informed a friend he would miss a game in March 2023 while playing for the Hornets, during which hundreds of thousands of dollars were wagered on props related to Rozier’s performance.

Although Billups' charges relate to involvement in a cheating poker game, his case also aligns with a co-conspirator’s claim that a bettor was tipped off in advance about multiple Trail Blazers starters missing a March 2023 game. Both Billups' and Rozier’s attorneys deny the allegations against their clients.

As the players’ union vice president, Brown said he wants to help uncover the truth. However, he also expressed regret that the NBA has not taken proactive or timely measures sufficient to assist players.

“From my conversations with the players’ union, I believethe NBA has never asked, ‘How can we better protect players in this kind of environment?’” Brown said. “There has been almost no discussion about this issue. Most of the time,it’s all about ‘how do we grow the business and increase revenue’. I think we haven’t had enough conversations about the consequences these things could bring.”

Brown and Rozier were teammates on the Celtics from 2016 to 2019. Brown said the accusations against Rozier “don’t fit his character,” but noted that the players’ union has a committee investigating the matter.

“Obviously, if these individuals are innocent, it’s damaging to their public and media image, so we must ensure their reputations are restored if they are proven not guilty,” Brown said. “But right now, I think the most important thing is to gather all the facts and find the truth.”