Sports
Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith clash over FBI gambling probe allegedly involving NBA figures: ‘That’s stupidity’
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The biggest story in sports, let alone the NBA, was the FBI gambling probe that was announced on Thursday, which involved the arrests of Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA guard Damon Jones among many others.
During ESPN’s “Inside The NBA,” the panel of Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley discussed the situation, but it resulted in a bit of a heated back and forth between Smith and Barkley.
Smith began with his lengthy take on the situation.
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Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups leaves the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse after a hearing following his arrest on federal gambling charges in Portland, Oregon, U.S., Oct. 23, 2025. (REUTERS/John Rudoff)
“We look at players who are involved and people who are involved, we’re surprised when you have access and you’re at the top of the game, so to speak as a coach or a player or whatever at the top of the game, you have access to millions of dollars in this league. So, it was surprising that they put themselves in that position possibly. Innocent until proven guilty,” he said.
Smith’s next point is what ticked off Barkley, who was visibly frustrated at the desk.
“I think the other part is you have to realize gambling is an addiction, so the addiction of it is what makes you make illogical decisions,” Smith continued. “… The FBI Director [Kash Patel] said, there’s a man who lost $1.8 million. That means he has a lot of money, so he has an addiction to that. Those ‘fish’ that they talked about bringing in. So, gambling is an addiction which could make you make illogical decisions regardless of your ethnic background, regardless of your physical background, regardless of your financial status. So, let’s understand that.
“I disagree in terms of the NBA dropping the ball. This is an ongoing investigation. There’s no way that any FBI, or police even, who anyone would say, ‘Hey, this is what we’re doing.’ The surprise element always makes it happen so they cannot overextend the information they’re receiving.
As Smith told Barkley he would let him talk once he made his final point, Barkley couldn’t hold back.
“I wish you would because you’re making me mad right here,” Barkley said.
“I also think that because there’s people getting speeding tickets it doesn’t mean everyone in the league speeds. So, don’t look at this group of people that started to get investigated as the entire league,” Smith concluded.
Kenny Smith, looks on before the game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers as part of the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament on December 7, 2023, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Mike Kirschbaum/NBAE via Getty Images)
Then, it was Barkley’s turn to speak.
“First of all, these are two different things,” he began. “Take Chauncey out of the equation, and the reason I’m mad at Kenny is this has nothing to do with a damn gambling addiction. This ain’t got nothing to do with addiction. These dudes are stupid. You can, under no circumstances, fix basketball games. Under no circumstances. I love to gamble. Rozier makes $26 million. Him giving people information or taking himself out of games, how much is he going to benefit taking himself out of games to hit unders? He’s making $26 million.”
Smith butted in, as he said Barkley was proving his point.
“If you’re making $26 million to try to when $50,000, that’s illogical,” Smith said.
Barkley fired back, reiterating his belief that those involved were not gambling addicts, but rather “that’s stupidity.”
“The notion that guys are making all this money and giving information, stop that. That’s got nothing to do with addiction. It’s total stupidity on those two’s parts,” Barkley said.
O’Neal gave his take prior to the Smith and Barkley debate. He said the league gave forums to inform players about the dangers of gambling.
“All these guys knew what was at stake and I’m just ashamed that they put themselves, put their family and put the NBA in this position,” O’Neal said. “You all know the rules, we all know the letter of the law and it’s just unfortunate. Innocent until proven guilty, but usually when the FBI has something, they have you.”
College basketball analyst Charles Barkley on air before the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four championship game. (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Billups, a Basketball Hall of Famer like the men on the panel, left an Oregon federal courthouse on Thursday, where he didn’t answer questions after being arrested as part of the FBI investigation. Billups was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, as he was allegedly involved in the rigged poker games investigation.
Billups was released from custody under the conditions of turning over his passport, not contacting any of the 30-plus co-defendants charged, and not participating in any gambling activity.
Rozier was allegedly involved in the sports gambling ring, where schemers were allegedly giving non-public information about who would be sitting out future games or when they would be pulling themselves out early for injuries or illnesses.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Rozier faked an injury to leave a March 23, 2023, game between the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans. Rozier was alleged to have told co-defendant Deniro Laster that he would take himself out of the game so Laster could bet on it.
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The NBA cooperated with the investigation and placed Billups and Rozier on an immediate leave of absence.
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Jude Bellingham has said that he, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior can deliver together on the pitch for Real Madrid ahead of an “all-or-nothing” Champions League quarterfinal second leg at Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
The midfielder has had a challenging season — first recovering from shoulder surgery and then suffering a hamstring problem — in a difficult campaign all-round for Madrid, with the Champions League now the team’s last realistic chance of winning a major trophy.
Madrid were beaten 2-1 by Bayern at the Bernabéu last week in the first leg, a game which Mbappé and Vinícius started, while Bellingham was introduced by coach Álvaro Arbeloa as a second-half substitute.
“It’s difficult, because I still feel like there’ve been many games where we’ve mixed really well,” Bellingham said in a news conference on Tuesday, when asked about combining with the two superstars.
“At times, it can be difficult with two naturally left-sided players [Mbappé and Vini].
“It can be difficult when we’re all on the same side. Arbeloa’s found a balance with me on the other side a bit more. We’re fluid, we have freedom to move around, at times that can disorganise a bit, but with both of them, you have to trust in their ability… When things are right, hopefully like tomorrow. I’ve seen it before.”
Madrid are nine points behind leaders Barcelona in LaLiga after they dropped more points in a 1-1 home draw with Girona on Friday, putting even more pressure on the Bayern tie.
“We want to still be playing for something at the end of the season,” Bellingham said. “It’s hugely important for us, for the club… Obviously it’s been a bit of a frustrating season for me, my first one like this, missing so many games with injury.
“Any loss in the Champions League feels like a disaster. Given the situation we’re in, we understand tomorrow is a final. We have to see it as an all or nothing game.”
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Arbeloa — whose long-term future as coach has been questioned after Madrid failed to win in their last three games, against Real Mallorca, Bayern and Girona — said the 2-1 first leg scoreline meant his side “don’t need to perform any miracles” in Munich.
“To begin with, we are Real Madrid,” Arbeloa said. “If there’s a team that comes to this stadium to turn things around, it’s us. If we won [the first leg], it wouldn’t have been anything crazy. Their goalkeeper [Manuel Neuer] was the MVP. We are capable of it.
“The Real Madrid coach believes, the players believe, and the club believes. There hasn’t been a single fan I’ve met these past few days who doesn’t believe we’re going to win.”
Sports
Who is Johnnie Robbie? Meet West Coast Pro’s women’s champion and rising star on the indie scene
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LAS VEGAS – Johnnie Robbie will enter WrestleMania week as a relative unknown and rising pro wrestling star, but when the dust settles in Las Vegas this week, fans will certainly know who she is.
Robbie is a California native who has trained at New Japan Pro-Wrestling and has made brief appearances at Ring of Honor and All Elite Wrestling. She will enter the week as West Coast Pro wrestling’s women’s champion. She will have about a half-dozen matches over the course of the week, headlining the company’s show and competing in several others.
She opened up to Fox News Digital about her background and how she got started.
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Johnnie Robbie hits Persephone with a crossbody from the top rope. (Courtesy Marc Blair)
“I watched it a bit as a kid,” Robbie said of getting started in pro wrestling. “Kinda fell off of it. Then, my best friend got me into it and then I started rewatching it again. And then I just thought I rather do it than watch it. A little bit about Johnnie Robbie – she’s just kinda doesn’t take anything from anybody.
“I come from Chicano roots – the way I was praised pretty much. From the sneakers that I wear to the way that I’m dressed, you can see that it’s streetstyle and some people may be reminded of home it.”
Robbie said she initially started training as a referee before she was able to receive more bookings.
“My best friend, like I said, he was like, ‘Oh, figure out how to become a wrestler because you’re always saying you want to be something new every day,’ and this was something I dug for and tried to find a school because it is kinda hard to find a school, especially here in LA because there just a handful of them,” she said. “I started training and then I wasn’t picking up as much as everyone else and my trainers at the time, they suggested I become a ref until I’m ready for my main debut. I believe that’s how they did it – they school they came from, they would do that. I took the idea from there.”
JAPANESE PRO WRESTLING STAR MIYU YAMASHITA GEARS UP FOR LAS VEGAS RETURN AT SLAM FEST
Robbie told Fox News Digital she is trying to amplify her roots when she comes to the ring.
She said the gear she wears from head-to-toe all have something to do with where she’s been and her background.
“I’m here for a good time and so I’m irked or I’m p—ed off and I tend to get p—ed off very easily. I think I tend to show that in-ring. I have a quick temper and if I’m on top, I kinda get, I don’t want to say cocky, but I get real comfortable,” she said. “I think mostly what you see is someone not as big as everyone else or just be able to take hits and just the way that I move in the ring,
“I think that comes across well in terms of … One of my best friends, Alan Breeze, I go, ‘I don’t know what my style is,’ and he’s like, ‘You’re a little pitbull, you’re a little dog, you’re just like messy.’ You’re style is, I think he said, ‘Scrappy.’ I think that comes into play when I’m wrestling. You can see that. Like I said, I pull from the way I was raised by a bunch of, ‘Cholos.’ Just like I said, the Chicano lifestyle. I think you see a lot of that when I’m in the ring.”
Johnnie Robbie feels the wrath of Persephone in the ring. (Courtesy Marc Blair)
Robbie stressed that being able to share her background with the people that come to her shows is important to her and how much of a difference it makes.
SLAM FEST TO BRING PRO WRESTLING FESTIVAL TO PALMS CASINO RESORT IN LAS VEGAS
“I personally love it because are sometimes people are like, ‘Oh, you’re just kinda cool,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, no, you just don’t get it because you never seen it before.’ As opposed to when I’m here in LA or up north in San Francisco with West Coast, I have the little girls that look like me or I have fans that are older and they’re like, ‘Oh my God you remind me of my sister, you remind me of my tia,’” Robbie said. “Little girls see themselves in me or they see their bigger sister in me.
“So, I think it’s whether you not recognizing where I come from or it’s the little kids seeing it or it’s the people who grew up like me seeing it, that just makes a difference. I’m just happy to be that person you’re reminded of somewhere because even if you’re not familiar with the way I was raised opposed to a little girl out here in LA, you’re still now being introduced to it. So, I enjoy the fact that, ‘Oh, this is what they mean by that.’”
Robbie said she will be in six matches during the week, but it wasn’t her initial play.
She said she had hoped to do at least three matches and put on quality shows, until more people started to call her to wrestle at their shows. The hustle mentality is a driving force for Robbie.
“I think we’re all hustling … But I was look at, some fan made a list of everybody who had matches, and I remember thinking coming in, like, ‘Oh, I only want maybe three matches this year,’ because last year I think I had just as many. I want quality over quantity,” Robbie said. “I didn’t want to be over or under booked. And then, I just getting these opportunities, big names or people I’ve always been wanting to wrestle. I was like, ‘Oh, well, OK, I guess, I’m free, so. …’ It’s ‘Mania week and I’ve just, I don’t even know how to explain it. You want as many matches as you can possibly have because even if you’re not trying to, you just keep getting these opportunities because everyone from all over the world is here.
“If you’re not out there having many (matches), or if you’re just not out there at all, I would hope you would like to get out there. I know its difficult – it’s a whole week off. Hustling in general for me, that hustle mentality, are you giving it your all in terms of what you can do? If I could do was three matches and I did everything I could do is have those three matches and get to WrestleMania week that is good enough. … It’s OK to miss it as well because the hustle is still going on on the other side. What can you do if you’re not showing up for that week? To me, I use every moment and every opportunity to chase after whatever it is while also understanding that there’s limitations. As long as you’re doing it and not whining and not doing it, to me, you’re hustling.”
Johnnie Robbie appears in a Ring of Honor match against Persephone. (Courtesy Marc Blair)
Robbie will be among the dozens of wrestlers who will be involved in matches over the course of the week.
She will start her week with two matches on Wednesday — one at Pandemonium Pro Wrestling and another with Unapologetic Pro.
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Thursday night, Robbie will defend the West Coast Pro Women’s Championship at their event and then continue on to a Marvelous event. Then, she will be looking for another belt at PrideStyle Pro as well, going up against Chris Nastyy for the PrideStyle World Championship on Friday night. It will be her first of two matches there.
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AFC Bournemouth striker Junior Kroupi has caught the eye of Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea, while Bayern Munich have been monitoring Sunderland forward Brian Brobbey. Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe.
Transfers home page | Men’s winter grades | Women’s grades
TRENDING RUMORS
– Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea are all monitoring a move for Bournemouth striker Junior Kroupi, reports The Daily Mail. The 19-year-old has 10 goals to his name in his first full Premier League campaign, including an important finish against Arsenal over the weekend. That strike-rate has caught the attention of plenty of top sides, who are willing to pay upwards of £60 million to sign him, while Man United are also reported to be in the race to land Bournemouth defender Marcos Senesi on a free transfer this summer.
– Bayern Munich have been monitoring Sunderland forward Brian Brobbey ahead of a potential move this summer, reports The Independent. Brobbey, 24, has impressed in his debut Premier League campaign, with six goals to his name so far this season. And Bayern are looking to bring in competition for striker Harry Kane in their forward ranks.
– Man United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and Everton are monitoring Sunderland midfielder Noah Sadiki, claims TEAMtalk. The 21-year-old has been a regular for the Black Cats this season, with 27 Premier League appearances so far. But while their league rivals are keen on a possible transfer, Sunderland are adamant that there will be no exit for Sadiki in the transfer window.
– Borussia Dortmund are leading the race to re-sign winger Jadon Sancho as a free agent when his contract expires at Manchester United this summer. The Mirror claims that while the forward wants to return to the Bundesliga, Dortmund have made it clear that he will have to accept a drop in wages. Sancho is keen to make a return to the club he left in 2021 for €85 million to join United, so will likely accept to get his career back on track after several disappointing loan spells.
– Gabriel Jesus will assess any potential offers to leave Arsenal in the summer, according to Fabrizio Romano. The 29-year-old has changed agents and while he has a deal with the Gunners until 2027 and is focused on the rest of the season, the summer could open up opportunities to leave one year before his contract expires.
EXPERT TAKE
ESPN’s Sam Tighe on the future for Bournemouth striker Junior Kroupi.
Last weekend at The Emirates, Kroupi became the first teenager in decades to hit the 10-goal mark in a Premier League season. He joins the likes of Wayne Rooney, Robbie Fowler and Robbie Keane on a select list of special players to hit that milestone — and if their careers are anything to go by, special things are in store for Bournemouth’s young sensation.
His goal against Arsenal may have been a simple back-post tap in, but the France U21 international has spent the season developing a reputation for scoring great goals. For example: the guided long-range strike against Nottingham Forest in October, the one he slammed into the roof of the net against Wolves in January or — much to the Gunners chagrin — the beauty he scored from outside the box during their first matchup of the season.
In addition to sweet, sweet ball-striking, he’s flashed some really quick feet in tight spots, an appreciation for linkup play and the ability to flick a pass into the path of a runner. There’s a chance he develops into a fully fledged No. 9 in the future, but for now, he’s effectively a shadow striker — someone who plays just off the forward, finds pockets of space to work in and lets off shots wherever possible.
Not only is he racking up quite the goal reel, but his shot conversion rate — 28% (10 goals from 38 shots) — is the best Opta have on record for any teenager who has taken 30 or more shots since the 2003-04 season.
OTHER RUMORS
1:12
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– Napoli are looking at an exit for star striker Romelu Lukaku in the summer, after a falling out between player and club. (La Repubblica).
– Bayern Munich’s potential move for Anthony Gordon depends on the Newcastle winger deciding on the switch, with the Bundesliga club willing to offer €60 million-€70million to sign the England international. (Florian Plettenberg)
– Juventus are in advanced talks over a new contract for midfielder Manuel Locatelli. (Fabrizio Romano)
– AC Milan are not expected to trigger the €5 million clause in Niclas Fullkrug‘s loan deal from West Ham, but the Premier League club are looking to complete an exit for the striker this summer. (Fabrizio Romano)
– AS Roma have opened contract talks with midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini amid interest from Premier League and other Serie A clubs. (Nicolo Schira)
– Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir has agreed personal terms with Besiktas ahead of a potential move this summer. (Fanatik)
– Chelsea are looking at left wing targets to help bolster their forward ranks for the next season. (Telegraph)
– Liverpool are making progress in talks over a contract extension for Dominik Szoboszlai, with his deal expiring in 2028. (TEAMtalk)
– Manchester City are closely monitoring Bayer Leverkusen youngster Ibrahim Maza. (Florian Plettenberg).
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