Ex-NBA Ref Warns Some NBA Superstars Could Be Linked to Gambling Wire Fraud

The NBA world has been hit with a shockwave in light of the gambling wire fraud investigation, leading to the arrests of Damon Jones, Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier.

As the Department of Justice and the FBI begin to crack down on gambling across the NBA, social media is running amok with fans accusing various players. Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy has joined the discourse.

Speaking on Patrick Bet-David’s “PBD Podcast” on Friday, Donaghy was asked if superstars could also be involved in the ongoing scandal. Donaghy began, explaining the nature of wire fraud.

“When you talk about wire fraud, that’s a law that can be applied to many different things,” Donaghy said. “If you’re just calling your buddy and telling him that somebody’s not playing, even if it’s a nonchalant comment, transferring that over state lines is wire fraud.” (Timestamp: 05:00)

The former referee continued, explaining how players could unknowingly land themselves in trouble just by talking to friends.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that some of these star players must’ve been saying something to their buddies back home … and bets were placed and money was made.”

Going off Donaghy’s explanation, if any NBA superstar is found to have shared game-sensitive information that was later used in betting, they will face punishment even if the information was shared without the intent to commit a crime.

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Ex-NBA referee claims betting scandal will spread like ‘wildfire’

Continuing his conversation with Patrick Bet-David, Tim Donaghy also claimed that the ongoing betting scandal will get bigger with time. He explained how the players who have already been arrested will cooperate, suggesting that it will lead to more arrests.

“These guys that are arrested are going to sit down, be scared to death, and cooperate,” Donaghy said. “This is going to spread like wildfire and it’s a lot bigger than it is right now."

Tim Donaghy has his own history with betting trouble in the league. The former referee spent 11 months in prison after an FBI probe exposed his involvement in a betting scandal affecting the league in 2007, when David Stern was the league's commissioner.

Donaghy reportedly made more than $300,000 by leaking insider information. He claims that he was coerced into participating.

Since Rozier, Billups and Jones' arrests, many, including Tyronn Lue and LeBron James, have also been subjected to gambling allegations on social media.