Beyond the Baseline: The Most Shocking Scandals in NBA History

Sport has always been tainted by scandals and controversies, with the NBA being no different. Here is a list of the biggest scandals in NBA history. In 2007, the FBI revealed that referee Tim Donahue had been giving inside information to a gambling ring that would place bets on games he worked. If a bet hit, Donahue would receive $2,000, with the official betting on around 40 games he worked on during the mid-2000s, before being sentenced to 15 months in prison. In 2004, a game between the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers descended into chaos in what is now known as the Malice at the Palace. After a brief scuffle between Ron Artest and Ben Wallace seemed to have been suppressed, a drink from the crowd hit Artest, prompting the player and teammate Stephen Jackson to jump into the stands and throw punches. Fights broke out between Pacers players and fans, with the brawl descending onto the court. Artest was later suspended for 86 games, and Jackson received a 30-game ban. A 19-year-old woman accused Kobe Bryant of rape at the Lodge and Spa at Cordillera in Colorado in 2003, where the Los Angeles Lakers player had been staying as he prepared for knee surgery. While initially denying the accusation and claiming that he didn't have sex with the woman who worked at the hotel, Bryant later admitted that he did, but said the encounter was consensual. The case was eventually dropped as the accuser was unwilling to testify. In 2019, former Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted in support of Hong Kong protesters, noting, Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong. The tweet caused a media frenzy and jeopardized the NBA's lucrative relationship with China, who stopped broadcasting preseason games as a result. While Morey received widespread support, the NBA said his comments had offended fans in China, with LeBron James noting that Morey, who eventually apologized, was not educated on the topic.