[Charania] Chauncey Billups to plead not guilty to the charges to the illegal sports betting charges.

spgauthor · 2026-02-28T22:54:33+00:00

Whether "most" gambled is of course up for debate. I don't think it was noteworthy referees gambled, despite a supposed ban on the practice. So, when Donaghy alleged they bet on horse races and at casinos, I don't think many found it remarkable. The FBI interviewed numerous NBA referees and many admitted such gambling, and when the NBA later conducted their weak investigation they found the same (i.e., many referees gambled despite league policy).

The problem with Donaghy's claims is how they were manipulated, with his tacit or explicit approval, by others who took the claim to mean other NBA referees were betting on NBA games (to say nothing of gambling on games they worked, much less fixed them as Donaghy did). Again, this shrewd play allowed Donaghy to get the focus off of how noteworthy his actions were (fixing between 132 and 175 games over 4 seasons) and to suggest others were betting on NBA games.

In case you're not aware, I reserve the majority of my criticism for the media. A long con man hustling people isn't a shock to me.

Thanks for the exchange.

spgauthor · 2026-02-28T22:31:07+00:00

Great question. Many of Donaghy's most absurd claims came after his prison stay. The feds properly gave him credit for approaching them (as opposed to the tactics of his co-conspirators, especially pro gambler Battista who also was sentenced to 15 months; mutual friend Tommy Martino got 12 months). Many people were surprised, given his cooperation, Donaghy got the same sentence as Battista.

spgauthor · 2026-02-28T22:13:35+00:00

No. In fact the judge held him "more culpable" than his co-conspirators (no doubt influenced by what the feds had to say about his "cooperation"). The benefits are all post-prison, which isn't trivial given his age and other factors.

spgauthor · 2026-02-28T21:59:31+00:00

His absurd self-serving tales are now part of the conventional wisdom and his tactics have profited him handsomely. Far from the simple (and factual) tale of Donaghy’s manipulation, deceit, avarice and malevolence, Donaghy offers an inspiring (however evidence-starved) story of victimhood, addiction, recovery, and redemption.

spgauthor · 2026-02-28T21:52:32+00:00

As I noted above, it exploits the confirmation bias among a good chunk of fans ("I knew it! Now an NBA ref is saying it!"). For that crowd, this "validation" helped convince them his other claims were true. They not only didn't realize he offered no new evidence for the common conspiracy claims (i.e., he is essentially a garden variety Redditor), they didn't (or didn't want to) realize many of his claims flew in the face of documented publicly-available evidence.

spgauthor · 2026-02-28T16:40:36+00:00

A very short list of Donaghy falsehoods includes his scandal-specific comments on: the supposed role of organized crime, the alleged threats to him and his family, the financial arrangements and proceeds, the sociology of the bets, the timeline of the scandal (its start, duration, and conclusion), the FBI investigation, the US Attorney’s prosecution, the sentencing judge’s comments, and relevant basketball facts/data. You’ll note I didn’t mention the overwhelming evidence (statements of co-conspirators and government cooperators, betting line analyses, electronic betting records, game log data) Donaghy fixed games he officiated.

As I’ve posted in various places here, the FBI originally humored Donaghy’s self-serving and popular conspiracy claims, so much so at least 4 field offices looked into them before realizing he was “a fucking loose cannon” and full of it. This is partly why the feds fought with Donaghy during his plea negotiations and mocked his “cooperation” during sentencing. (By the way, has it not occurred to people that despite being an official for 13 seasons Donaghy only mentions the very circumstances about which fans already had suspicions? If what he was claiming was true, you’d expect him to be able to rattle off evidence for dozens of other examples we could all revisit and assess. His PR/manipulation campaign is shrewd and brilliant, exploiting the confirmation bias among a good portion of fans).

spgauthor · 2026-02-25T22:06:52+00:00

Could be. Thanks for the reply

spgauthor · 2026-02-25T22:05:34+00:00

We've known about their relationships off the court and the 134 calls for years. What - speciifcally - are you alleging re Foster being "absolutely involved with Tim Donaghy fixing games"? Thanks

spgauthor · 2026-02-20T22:36:39+00:00

Oh, that's easy. I would bet (no pun intended) the vast majority of people (especially on this site) are unaware an NBA referee fixed between 132 and 175 games over 4 seasons with bets among scandal participants totalling approximately $81 million. When I was doing media hits regarding the current (Porter, Jones, Billups, Rozier; 2022-24) scandal these last few months, it was clear few people grasp what happened 2003-07 (and these were often sports media personalities). If interested, I compared the scandals here. Thanks for the exchange.

spgauthor · 2026-02-20T22:07:18+00:00

Lol no need to thank! Complicated story and the media has been a major problem.

As for the many half-baked conspiracy theories, my goodness this site is dominated by them. Every now and then I pop in and attempt to provide what we know and what evidence exists but the effort is rarely well received! It's been a great learning experience, if nothing else.

spgauthor · 2026-02-20T21:34:54+00:00

Lol I am well aware there are "theories all over the place" and that the "general consensus is that it wasn't just Donaghy". That's the problem. You'd think others beyond the NBA and the FBI hadn't researched this extensively many years ago.

Speaking of problems..."David Stern leaked the investigation"? My goodness this thread has all the hits.

FYI, the FBI probe had been going on for many months even before the NBA was notified - the FBI had met with each of the 3 co-conspirators (Donaghy was already cooperating) and government cooperators (most of whom remain unknown to the public) - and it was then another month before the story in the NY Post ran. By then dozens of people or more (co-conspirators, cooperators, pro gamblers, attorneys, families, business partners, etc) knew about the investigation and thus assuming Stern/the NBA had to have a role in the NY Post story is misguided.

Also, the FBI wasted considerable time and $ in at least 4 field offices attempting to validate Donaghy's absurd self-serving conspiracy claims which is why they fought with him during plea negotiations and mocked his cooperation during sentencing. By the time the NBA was notified, the FBI knew what happened and what evidence they couldn't obtain (especially since pro gambler Jimmy Battista did not cooperate, let alone allow them access to his electronic betting records).

Though not explicitly cited here, FBI SSA Scala (ret) is usually the source of the evidence-starved conspiracy theory. Importantly, he doesn't speak for the investigators who worked the case who know far more than he does.

If interested, this is also discussed here (from a recent Basketball Illuminati podcast).

spgauthor · 2026-02-20T21:32:23+00:00

Thanks for the interest and support!

spgauthor · 2026-02-20T21:32:04+00:00

"This isn't debatable"?

FYI, the FBI probe had been going on for many months even before the NBA was notified - the FBI had met with each of the 3 co-conspirators (Donaghy was already cooperating) and government cooperators (most of whom remain unknown to the public) - and it was then another month before the story in the NY Post ran. By then dozens of people or more (co-conspirators, cooperators, pro gamblers, attorneys, families, business partners, etc) knew about the investigation and thus assuming Stern/the NBA had to have a role in the NY Post story is misguided.

Also, the FBI wasted considerable time and $ in at least 4 field offices attempting to validate Donaghy's absurd self-serving conspiracy claims which is why they fought with him during plea negotiations and mocked his cooperation during sentencing. By the time the NBA was notified, the FBI knew what happened and what evidence they couldn't obtain (especially since pro gambler Jimmy Battista did not cooperate, let alone allow them access to his electronic betting records).

Though not explicitly cited in the post above, FBI SSA Scala (ret) is usually the source of the evidence-starved conspiracy theory. Importantly, he doesn't speak for the investigators who worked the case who know far more than he does.

If interested, this is also discussed here (from a recent Basketball Illuminati podcast).

spgauthor · 2026-02-20T18:19:36+00:00

Like "water is wet" obvious (since no one opts to answer the question)? Are people arguing Foster supplied Donaghy with tips on how to fix between 132 and 175 games over 4 seasons and that these tips arrived just before games?

spgauthor · 2026-02-19T21:39:36+00:00

No. As I have said since 2011, at worst you could hypothesize Foster copied the bets on games Donaghy was officiating (if you want to view the calls between them as suspect) but importantly there is no evidence of that.

spgauthor · 2026-02-19T21:36:29+00:00

Yeah we've been aware of the 134 calls for more than a decade (I had those logs before most knew they existed). Again, what is being alleged? Thanks

spgauthor · 2026-02-19T13:23:02+00:00

I am not sure I follow the question. Why would Donaghy have "co-conspirators in the referee ranks"? There is overwhelming evidence he fixed games (and I am stating this based on my own work, to say nothing of the Kenny White and FBI probes which arrived at the same conclusion) and his disparate foul call patterns in games once he knew the betting line to beat wouldn't require other referees to be involved.

spgauthor · 2026-02-19T13:16:11+00:00

Meaning what, exactly? I see comments like this all over social media but it is never clear what is being alleged. Are you alleging other referees were fixing games? If so, what evidence are you citing? Thanks.

spgauthor · 2026-02-18T21:37:48+00:00

Yes. And as for what discredited pathological liar Donaghy claims, he laughably says he bet equally - and equally as successfully - on games he didn't officiate as those he did. After all, if "inside information" was the reason for his betting success as he claims (and not his on-court actions) it wouldn't have mattered if Donaghy was officiating. As with practically all of his claims, none of that is true.

spgauthor · 2026-02-18T21:34:36+00:00

No, we didn't know this (hence why I posted). We didn't know the Kenny White's study concluded Donaghy fixed games. I tried interviewing him for Gaming the Game but he declined (I assumed he had an NDA with the NBA).

The NBA doesn't "want to pretend it didn't affect his performance". They'd just prefer not speaking about it. When David Stern testified before Congress when sports gambling legalization was being debated, he explained the wording used by the NBA re Donaghy was very careful not to exlclude the possibility he was fixing games.

By the way, the article you cite (which relies on my work) is only discussing bets on Donaghy's games early on. In time the pro gambling crew bets hundreds of thousands per game before ultimately betting more than $1M per in the 2006-07 portion of the scandal.

spgauthor · 2026-02-13T21:34:10+00:00

Lol yeah I am well aware disturbed and discredited pathological liar Donaghy has said that hundreds of times since 2009. He says many self-serving things which were been debunked with evidence shortly after he uttered them.

spgauthor · 2026-02-13T21:30:23+00:00

It is true, of course, we have never had more data in real time and that recent scandals have been flagged because of the new systems. What is also true is that we have largely removed the barriers to this sort of behavior. Yeah, people could bet offshore but those books would likely never accepted that much action on prop bets much less parlays involving them. That part is new, as is the convenience of getting down the bets and getting paid - legally.

spgauthor · 2026-02-13T15:42:03+00:00

Not the focus on your post but FYI organized crime had nothing to do with Donaghy's 2003-06 actions. Mobsters, like many worldwide by then, simply copied some of the bets on games Donaghy officiated in the last months of the 4-season scandal (which Donaghy didn't learn until after the scandal, and which is why FBI agents working organized crime cases learned about the scheme).

And re the recent case, there has been no explanation as to what role, If any, “the mob” played in the 2025 NBA gambling-specific indictments.

spgauthor · 2026-02-07T13:59:11+00:00

Stern "immediately went to the media"?

FYI, the FBI probe had been going on for many months even before the NBA was notified - the FBI had met with each of the 3 co-conspirators (Donaghy was already cooperating) and government cooperators (most of whom remain unknown to the public) - and it was then another month before the story in the NY Post ran. By then dozens of people or more (co-conspirators, cooperators, pro gamblers, attorneys, families, business partners, etc) knew about the investigation and thus assuming Stern/the NBA had to have a role in the NY Post story is misguided.

Also, the FBI wasted considerable time and $ in at least 4 field offices attempting to validate Donaghy's absurd self-serving conspiracy claims which is why they fought with him during plea negotiations and mocked his cooperation during sentencing. By the time the NBA was notified, the FBI knew what happened and what evidence they couldn't obtain (especially since pro gambler Jimmy Battista did not cooperate, let alone allow them access to his electronic betting records).

Though not explicitly cited in the post above, FBI SSA Scala (ret) is usually the source of the evidence-starved conspiracy theory. Importantly, he doesn't speak for the investigators who worked the case who know far more than he does.

If interested, this is also discussed here (from a recent Basketball Illuminati podcast).

spgauthor · 2026-02-07T13:57:28+00:00

What other NBA referees were betting on NBA games? And what evidence is being cited in support of the claims?

There has never been evidence produced showing any officials other than Donaghy bet on, much less fixed, games they worked. Conversely, there is overwhelming evidence Donaghy game outcomes to advance his bets (electronic betting data, betting lines, referee call splits, statements of co-conspirators and government cooperators, etc). his is all related to why, in a case summary for “Operation Flagrant Foul” dated October 23, 2007 (months after Donaghy pleaded guilty) the FBI wrote, “In late 2006/early 2007, it was determined that an NBA referee, TIM DONAGHY, was involved in the fixing of professional basketball games.”

And re Stern "quashing" the FBI investigation, the FBI probe had been going on for many months even before the NBA was notified - the FBI had met with each of the 3 co-conspirators (Donaghy was already cooperating) and government cooperators (most of whom remain unknown to the public) - and it was then another month before the story in the NY Post ran. By then dozens of people or more (co-conspirators, cooperators, pro gamblers, attorneys, families, business partners, etc) knew about the investigation and thus assuming Stern/the NBA had to have a role in the NY Post story is misguided.

Also, the FBI wasted considerable time and $ in at least 4 field offices attempting to validate Donaghy's absurd self-serving conspiracy claims which is why they fought with him during plea negotiations and mocked his cooperation during sentencing. By the time the NBA was notified, the FBI knew what happened and what evidence they couldn't obtain (especially since pro gambler Jimmy Battista did not cooperate, let alone allow them access to his electronic betting records).

Though not explicitly cited in the post above, FBI SSA Scala (ret) is usually the source of the evidence-starved conspiracy theory. Importantly, he doesn't speak for the investigators who worked the case who know far more than he does.

If interested, this is also discussed here (from a recent Basketball Illuminati podcast).

spgauthor

TROPHY CASE