NBA Injury Reporting Policies Under Review Amid Ongoing Issues

The NBA is reviewing its injury reporting policies in light of recent federal indictments involving a current player, a head coach, and a former player in gambling cases. According to a memo obtained by ESPN, the league aims to reduce the value of inside information and combat performance manipulation.

Notably, veteran guard Terry Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, and former player Damon Jones were among 34 arrested in October and charged in federal indictments involving sports betting and allegedly rigged poker games.

Federal prosecutors allege Rozier and Jones supplied bettors with nonpublic injury information. Billups is implicated in a separate poker indictment but is associated with a coconspirator accused of providing inside information regarding the Trail Blazers.

The NBA plans to require teams to submit injury reports on game day between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. local time, with updates on NBA.com every 15 minutes. Additionally, the league is considering changes to address tanking and enhance player protections against harassment from sports bettors.

Proposed changes include modifications to draft pick protection and the draft lottery, as well as advocating for stricter regulations on prop bets, which are wagers on the statistical performance of individual players.

The league seeks control over the types of bets offered on their games, and changes will require negotiations with sports betting operators and possible legislative action. FanDuel and DraftKings are official gaming partners of the NBA, along with approximately 10 other betting operations.