Charles Barkley Explodes Over Mafia-Linked NBA Gambling Scandal: “These Dudes Are Stupid!”
Written by b87fm on 10/27/2025
Charles Barkley unleashed a fiery tirade on Inside the NBA as he addressed the Mafia-linked sports betting scandal that’s rocked the league and implicated several high-profile players and coaches.
With 34 people indicted—including Terry Rozier, Chauncey Billups, and Damon Jones—Barkley didn’t hold back.
“These dudes are stupid,” Barkley said. “Why are they stupid? You, under no circumstances, can fix basketball games. None.”
His outrage stems from reports that Rozier, a Miami Heat guard earning $26 million a year, allegedly left a February 2023 game early to help associates cash in over $200,000 from a prop bet.
“I love to gamble,” Barkley admitted, “but come on. He’s making $26 million. How much could he possibly make taking himself out for an under?”
The federal indictment, unsealed October 23, 2025, claims Rozier used insider info to manipulate betting outcomes while Billups and Jones allegedly partnered with Mafia organizations to rig high-stakes poker games—using marked cards, altered shufflers, and X-ray tables—cheating players out of $7 million.
Both Rozier and Billups have been placed on leave and deny wrongdoing.
Shaquille O’Neal, Barkley’s co-host, echoed the frustration.
“Every year the league tells you what not to do,” Shaq said. “They all knew the rules. This puts their families and the NBA in a bad position.”
The scandal’s timing couldn’t be worse as the NBA finalizes its record $76 billion, 11-year broadcast deal. Lawmakers have already requested a briefing from Commissioner Adam Silver, who said during halftime of the Celtics-Knicks game:
“There’s nothing more important than the integrity of competition. I had a pit in my stomach.”
Federal authorities warn this may be just the beginning—hinting that more arrests could follow as the investigation widens into the Mafia’s sports-betting ties.
