Charles Barkley didn’t mince his words on Inside the NBA when addressing the Mafia-linked sports betting scandal that has rocked the league and implicated several high-profile figures.
With 34 people indicted—including Terry Rozier, Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones—Barkley delivered a blunt message about the alleged corruption. The Hall of Famer’s frustration stems from allegations that Rozier, a guard for the Miami Heat, left a February 2023 game early to help associates profit over $200,000 from a prop bet tied to his performance. Rozier reportedly earns $26 million a year.
The federal indictment, unsealed October 23, 2025, accuses Rozier of using inside information to manipulate betting outcomes. Prosecutors say he intentionally exited games to meet betting conditions, while others allegedly used confidential data to place bets on at least seven NBA games between February 2023 and March 2024. The investigation led by the FBI and NYPD, started in 2023 and has since expanded to include rigged poker games involving Mafia families like the Gambino, Genovese and Bonanno organizations.