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** OPINION
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** ESPN Fumbles Early Coverage of Massive NBA Gambling Scandal
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The network was slow to pivot as news broke of NBA arrests in an FBI gambling probe involving Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier.

A huge NBA gambling story broke in the early hours of Thursday morning — the kind of sports-betting scandal that every major sports league fears.

Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat player Terry Rozier were among the more than 30 people arrested by the FBI in connection with a mob-run rigged poker scheme, as well allegations that gamblers were provided with insider information to help them wager on NBA games. In one alleged incident, Rozier told gamblers that he was going to leave a game early with an injury, which allowed his co-conspirators to place bets on Rozier’s performance that night. According to the indictment, gamblers won hundreds of thousands of dollars and split the winnings with Rozier.

FBI director Kash Patel said in a press conference, “Not only did we crack into the fraud that these perpetrators committed on the grand stage of the NBA, but we also entered and executed a system of justice against La Cosa Nostra.”

The details of the case are serious and fascinating, and you can read more about them from Rick Maese and Jeremy Roebuck of The Washington Post: “Portland Trail Blazers head coach and Miami Heat player arrested in gambling probes.” ([link removed]) (And here’s the story ([link removed]) from The Associated Press.)

The New York Times wrote ([link removed]) , “Taken together, the two indictments, involving more than 30 defendants, will compel the N.B.A. to confront questions about how far the misconduct may have spread inside its multibillion-dollar business, and whether those accused of financial crimes affected the outcomes of games.”

Those deeply concerning questions will be sorted out in the coming days and weeks and months.

But let’s delve into the media coverage as the news broke, specifically ESPN. CNN, Fox News and MSNBC showed Patel’s press conference live.

ESPN did not, which became a talking point Thursday morning. Some conspiracy theorists accused ESPN of ducking the press conference because of its status as a network partner of the NBA.

That’s absurd.

That accusation would have some validity if ESPN completely ignored the story. It did not. It talked about the breaking news on both their morning shows: “Get Up” and “First Take.” And “First Take” showed highlights of Patel’s remarks from the press conference.

ESPN should not get beat up for not showing the press conference. Nor should it be slammed for letting the dust of this major story settle for a moment before diving into what happened and what it all means. Better to be a few moments late and smart about your take than be first and say something uninformed and unintelligent.

That’s not to say ESPN handled it perfectly or particularly well.

You could argue that the network was a little too slow in getting the news out. In many ways, the network was a prisoner to its rigid schedule. “Get Up” and “First Take” might appear to be loosely scripted, light opinion shows featuring a slew of panelists talking off the cuff. But, they stick to a strict schedule of well-planned, researched and rehearsed topics. “First Take” probably should have opened the program with the big gambling news, but instead it seemed the show kept to the day’s plan: the Wednesday night performance of San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama and an NFL game that isn’t being played until Sunday night.

When breaking news happens — especially something so serious and so out-of-the-blue — it can be difficult to adjust. And, frankly, ESPN did have a tough time adjusting because of how the morning shows are designed.

“Get Up” host Mike Greenberg is always a pro. He did a solid job describing the situation on the fly, but, unfortunately, he was surrounded by a panel of NFL experts who really couldn’t provide much analysis other than their scratch-the-surface opinions. Only ESPN’s NBA insider, Shams Charania, was able to provide real NBA insight, and he mostly stuck to the facts of the case as we knew them.

Andrew Marchand, who covers sports media for The Athletic, tweeted ([link removed]) , “This is a reality of the biz and Mike Greenberg has done a good job, but there was a time when ESPN right now would be wall to wall experts on the NBA gambling arrests.

And “First Take?”

In September, the show lost its full-time host, Molly Qerim, and her replacement, Shae Cornette, is a couple of weeks away from starting. That left the star of the show, Stephen A. Smith, in charge. He ended up going on a rant about Donald Trump, saying Trump was behind the timing of this case, and added, “Anybody that has been around him. Anybody that has talked to him. Anybody that has seen his reactions from the sports leagues and the positions that people have taken, they are not surprised at what’s going on today. It’s a statement and it’s a warning that more is coming. And that’s what they’re saying here. I’m just telling you, it’s as serious as it gets. This ain’t the platform for me to get into it the way I’m going to get into it. But I’ve been saying, he’s coming. He’s coming.”

Awful Announcing’s Ben Axelrod wrote ([link removed]) , “But while Smith may deserve blame for turning ‘First Take’ into one of his ‘Hannity’ appearances, the reality is that he never should have been in the position to do so in the first place. Although he’s one of the most powerful people at ESPN, that doesn’t mean he’s the best equipped to play point guard.”

I actually don’t have an issue with what Smith had to say, regardless of whether you agree with him or not. It’s an opinion show, and he had an opinion that I hadn’t previously considered. If the show where he’s the star and people tune in to hear him isn’t the right platform for him to air his opinion, what platform is?

However, Axelrod added, “It’s hard to imagine Qerim letting Smith take the show as far off track as he did on Thursday, as he seemingly seized on the opportunity to bolster his political persona. But without a full-time host, ‘First Take’ was left to its biggest star’s devices, as three colleagues — including one on his first day on the show — appeared powerless to reverse course.”

In the end, ESPN’s spotty response to the day’s huge, unexpected story was more about the rigidity of ESPN’s morning routine than anything else. In addition, there’s still so much we don’t know as we continue to dig through all the allegations. Trying to figure it out in real time was next to impossible, so I’m willing to give ESPN the benefit of the doubt.

The first couple of hours after this story broke weren’t ESPN’s best moments, nor its worst. Now, moving forward, let’s see how they handle a story that isn’t going away anytime soon. To its credit, ESPN’s reporting and analysis later in the day — particularly on “SportsCenter” and during its NBA coverage — was much better.


** One more thing
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While this NBA gambling story has the potential to have more layers and greater consequences, let’s also remind ourselves that this is far from the first gambling scandal in sports history. In fact, it’s not uncommon. Arguably, the most infamous gambling scandal in sports happened more than 100 years ago when the 1919 Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing the World Series. That team became forever known as the Black Sox.

Here’s The Associated Press with “Black Sox, Ohtani’s interpreter and more: A look at notable sports betting scandals.” ([link removed])


** Same (and as good) as it ever was
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Speaking of the NBA, here’s a story that’s a little more positive.

Most NBA fans went into mourning when TNT lost the NBA rights. That’s because they thought the gold standard of sports studio shows — TNT’s “Inside the NBA” — would be going away. But ESPN threw the show a lifeline. The fear, however, was that ESPN would clamp down on the show which is so good because its loose, unstructured format. Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith are liable to say or do anything. That factor, as well as the charisma and humor and insight of the panel, is what makes the show so watchable.

ESPN said it wouldn’t mess with the show, but many were skeptical.

Well, if Tuesday night’s debut of “Inside the NBA” on ESPN is any indication, there’s nothing to worry about.

Awful Announcing’s Ben Axelrod wrote ([link removed]) , “The verdict? ESPN stayed true to its word.”

Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina wrote ([link removed]) , “The spirit of the show was the same. The vibe of the show was the same. The entertainment value of the show was the same.”

The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand wrote ([link removed]) , “‘Inside The NBA’ was exactly the same, except viewers had to turn their channel to ESPN and see its logos instead of TNT. Besides that, it was still the frolicking show that has made ESPN’s ‘Inside The NBA’ produced by TNT Sports the most iconic studio production in the history of sports media.”

Even more kudos: “Inside the NBA” met the gambling scandal head on Thursday night.

The only drawback is that we won’t see much of the show for a few months.

“Inside the NBA,” which also aired Thursday night, will appear only twice more until Christmas. The show will be on more regularly starting in late January through the playoffs.


** Media news, tidbits and interesting links for your weekend review
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* For The xxxxxx, Will Sommer with “MAGA Media Keeps Thirsting for Left-Wing Violence.” ([link removed]) Sommer wrote, “Political violence is, of course, a very real thing, with victims of it on both the left and the right. Vigilance is sadly necessary more and more. But the efforts to claim that it is solely, or even primarily, the province of the left has led to remarkable contortions on the right. Because, oftentimes, the motivations for those attempting or even carrying out the violence don’t fit into neat ideological packaging.”
* CNN chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour announced that she is once again battling ovarian cancer. She revealed the news on the latest episode of the “Changing the Ovarian Cancer Story” ([link removed]) podcast that came out Thursday. Amanpour, 67, was treated for ovarian cancer back in 2021. She said on the podcast, “I have it again, but it's being very well managed.”
* Status’ Natalie Korach writes ([link removed]) that the mood at The Washington Post these days is “grim,” and adds, “Unfortunately, Status has learned that the situation is likely to get worse as the holiday season approaches. According to people familiar with the matter, layoffs are once again on the horizon, this time threatening the newsroom. The cuts, the people said, are expected to impact the audio, sports and metro divisions.”
* The Washington Post’s Scott Nover tweeted ([link removed]) that Infowars, the far-right conspiracy site created by Alex Jones, has signed the Pentagon’s new press policy. Breanna Morello announced she will cover the Pentagon, although bizarrely adds, “I won't be moving to D.C. of course — thank god.”
* The Associated Press’ David Bauder with “Watch those texts! Smartphones emerging as a new way for public figures to get into hot water.” ([link removed])
* NBC News’ Rich Schapiro and Morgan Chesky with “Man shot in ICE confrontation was a 'respected and admired' citizen journalist with TikTok following.” ([link removed])
* So here’s my semi-spicy take of the day. A story I care very little about? President Donald Trump demolishing the East Wing of the White House to build a ballroom. I don’t live in the White House or next door to it, so I don’t really care, especially because he reportedly isn’t using taxpayer money to fund it. Last month, CBS News’ Arden Farhi and Jennifer Jacobs had a good scoop: “Who's paying for the White House ballroom and what's in it for them.” ([link removed]) I’m sure there are some potential issues with what’s going on, but those issues are nothing compared to some of the other devastating things the administration is doing to our democracy. Anyway, on this topic, here’s another interesting piece from The Washington Post’s Amy B Wang: “Many presidents have renovated the White House. How Trump’s ballroom compares.” ([link removed]
history/?itid=hp-top-table-main_p001_f012)
* My Poynter colleague Jon Greenberg with “I’m no cartoonist. Neither is Google’s Gemini.” ([link removed])
* The World Series gets underway tonight with the Toronto Blue Jays hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 on Fox. The Dodgers are looking to repeat as champions, while the Blue Jays are looking for their first world title since 1993. ESPN’s Buster Olney and Jesse Rogers have “World Series 2025: MLB insiders predict Dodgers-Blue Jays.” ([link removed])


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Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .
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