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NBA bans first-basket, opening-tip and same-player under parlays: my take

Opinion The author's own takes, written in his voice. The facts behind them are cited and linked.

By McKinley Malbrough III, J.D., MS-HRM · Certified WNBA player agent · Former certified NBA agent

Published October 16, 2026. Last updated October 16, 2026.

This post is opinion. The facts each take rests on are cited and linked. The NBA sent the memos to sportsbooks and teams on Friday, October 16, 2026, per the Associated Press. The players most affected are the ones on the lowest rungs of the pay scale, which the two-way contract guide explains.

What did the NBA and sportsbooks ban?

Five kinds of bets, per the AP. Sportsbooks can no longer offer:

• "First-of" markets, such as the first basket, 3-pointer, rebound, assist, steal or block.
• Bets on whether a player misses his first shot, his next shot or any shot in a set stretch of game time.
• The outcome of the opening tip.
• Unders on players not expected to play more than a few minutes.
• Multiple unders on the same player inside one parlay.

ESPN's Shams Charania and David Purdum put the minutes line at fewer than 12 per game, per Sportando. The AP summary gives no number, so I use ESPN's figure and attribute it. The rules apply this season and extend to WNBA games in 2027, per the AP.

Why do I think the bans hit the right bets?

Because each banned market resolves on something one player can steer. A missed first shot costs a player nothing anyone can see. An opening tip is a single jump. A same-player under parlay pays when one man has one bad night.

The cases that forced this are built on the same mechanics. Federal officials allege Terry Rozier conspired with associates to win bets based on his own statistical performance in a March 2023 game with Charlotte, per the AP. Jontay Porter faced similar charges and was banned by Commissioner Adam Silver in 2024, per the same report. My read: when the scandals are about one player controlling his own line, the fix is to remove the lines he controls.

Do the sportsbooks lose anything here?

They give up some product and gain some protection, and I will not pretend it is purely one or the other. A same-player under parlay stacks bets that all hit together when a player sits or his minutes shrink, which makes it a hard bet for a book to price. I read that ban as integrity and exposure management at once.

Some fans reacting online say bettors can now only take overs. The AP list does not say that. Single-leg unders on rotation players are still available. What is gone is stacking unders on one player and betting on players who barely play.

The books also agreed to this once before. In 2024, FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM removed under props on players on two-way and 10-day deals, per CBS Sports. This is the second step in the same direction.

Why does this matter most for low-salary players?

Because they are the likeliest target and the least protected. CBS reported in 2024 that players on low salaries have the most incentive to manipulate their performance for bets, while players earning millions have little reason to risk a career. The new bans extend that logic from two-way and 10-day players to anyone who barely plays.

That reaches the WNBA too, where pay is far lower, as the WNBA salary breakdown shows. Starting in 2027 the same rules apply there, per the AP. For a young player, the advice I would give is plain: treat lineup, injury and minutes information as off limits to everyone outside the building. Anyone building a career as an agent, covered in how to become an NBA agent, has to teach that before the first contract.

What do the bans not fix?

The leak. Authorities said the broader operation behind the arrests of Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones leaked inside information about NBA players and rigged poker games backed by Mafia families, per the AP. Narrowing the betting menu does nothing about a player or coach who talks.

The measures that reach that problem sit next to the bans. All players, coaches and training staff must attend live, in-person training on the league's betting rules this season, and the league built an AI-based platform that analyzes injury reports, social media and wagering patterns to flag unusual activity, per the AP. Players can opt in to programs that identify and delete harassment and threats, and the fan code of conduct now prohibits betting-related harassment, per the same report.

My take: the harassment protection should be the default, not an opt-in. A rookie on a minimum deal should not have to find the form before the abuse starts. The bans are right, and the test is whether the next scandal still has a market to hide in.