By Joe Vardon, Sam Amick and Josh Robbins | The Athletic, 2026-05-07 09:00:13
《The Athletic》正在直播76人对阵尼克斯的2026年NBA东部半决赛第三场比赛。
NBA是否存在诚信问题？绝大多数球员并不这么认为，但他们也看到了正在形成的令人不安的趋势，如果这些问题得不到解决，可能会损害联盟的声誉。
在《The Athletic》最新的匿名球员投票中，我们询问了150多名球员，本赛季联盟最大的争议——博彩、摆烂以及关于洛杉矶快船 (LA Clippers) 绕过工资帽签下凯怀·伦纳德 (Kawhi Leonard) 的指控——是否让NBA的诚信受到了质疑。
我们还专门询问了“摆烂”问题，即管理层和教练通过操纵阵容、轮换和球员出场情况，让球队有最大的机会输球，从而提升选秀顺位。我们还问球员，如果他们能坐上总裁亚当·萧华 (Adam Silver) 的位置，他们会改变NBA的哪些现状。
近75%的受访者表示联盟的诚信并未受到威胁；约72%的人认为“摆烂”要么是“小问题”，要么根本不是问题。相比于解决博彩、摆烂或快船队的问题，远多于此的球员更希望看到NBA取消背靠背比赛、缩减长期以来82场的常规赛赛程，或者修改规则以允许更多的防守。
“联盟正在积极努力变得更好，”一位球员在承认NBA面临严重问题的同时说道，“如果你真的有诚信问题，你根本就不会在乎。”
9月的训练营开始前几周，快船队被指控通过为伦纳德安排一份与球队赞助商挂钩的丰厚虚职来“作弊”，以便在工资帽之外向他支付薪水。快船队坚称自己是清白的，联盟的调查仍在进行中。
在常规赛第3天的上午，联邦政府宣布了针对波特兰开拓者队主教练昌西·比卢普斯 (Chauncey Billups)、迈阿密热火队后卫特里·罗齐尔 (Terry Rozier) 和前NBA助理教练戴蒙·琼斯 (Damon Jones) 的全面博彩指控。在布鲁克林法院的戏剧性场面中，包括联邦调查局局长卡什·帕特尔 (Kash Patel) 在内的司法部官员列举了指控：比卢普斯和琼斯与黑帮成员操纵扑克赌局，罗齐尔故意退赛以赢得赌注，以及琼斯向赌徒出售湖人队球星的内部信息以牟利。琼斯已对指控认罪。比卢普斯错过了整个赛季，罗齐尔也是如此，他已被热火队裁掉。NBA重新开启了博彩调查以查看是否有遗漏，并修改了球队的伤病报告规则，要求在当天更早的时间提供更清晰的出场信息。
过去三个月里，联盟讨论的主导话题一直是摆烂。NBA对两支球队进行了罚款，并调查了至少另外一支球队，目前正接近出台戏剧性的规则变更，以遏制为了更好的选秀权而故意输球的行为。
《The Athletic》的这项民意调查是在热火队裁掉罗齐尔、琼斯对博彩案认罪以及联盟公布最新的反摆烂措施之前进行的。一如既往，我们给予了球员匿名权，让他们能够自由、诚实地回答，而无需担心遭到对手、队友或球迷的报复。为了透明度和背景参考，我们将告知您每个话题的参与人数。
比赛的诚信是否面临威胁？
对该问题答案的非正式分析显示，球员们的集体回答是：“不，但是……”
“我不认为我们有诚信问题，”一位球员说，“这更像是博彩可能引发的潜在问题的开端。它正受到越来越多的负面关注，可能会影响比赛的纯粹性。”
“纯粹主义者，我们只想打球。”
需要明确的是，并不是NBA让博彩合法化的——本质上是美国最高法院通过裁定各州可以自行决定是否允许体育博彩而促成的。目前已有39个州，加上华盛顿特区和波多黎各，接受了最高法院的这一裁定。
但在2018年最高法院那项为广泛合法博彩铺平道路的裁决之后，NBA（以及其他主要职业体育联盟）积极寻求与博彩公司合作，以便联盟能从其比赛的投注中获利。联盟与博彩公司之间的亲密关系，以及球迷中博彩的泛滥，正是球员们的感受所在——他们认为这是一个问题。
“他们必须对博彩采取行动，”一位球员说，“如果不这样做，联盟就有麻烦了。”
“博彩与社交媒体的结合是一个危险的组合——它对比赛的影响太大了，”另一位球员说道。
第三位球员说：“我们上场打球时，我能听到球迷说，‘请拿11分’，你懂我意思吗？我觉得这让比赛变得有点（糟糕）了。”
博彩是那些认为NBA诚信面临威胁、或建议如果不做出改变诚信将受损的球员最常提到的原因，且遥遥领先。
整个赛季，所有30支球队更衣室里的球员都非常厌恶对同事（伦纳德）及其场外赚钱机会发表任何立场的看法。伦纳德和快船队一样，坚称自己没有违规。
“我不认为（NBA的）诚信面临威胁；我认为这只是很多人在利用新事物，”一位球员给出了一个比单纯“博彩”更宽泛的答案，“这就像大学里的NIL（姓名、形象、肖像权）刚开始一样。在有人试图改变或打破规则之前，你不会有具体的规则，然后你就会找到更多理由来实施不同的规则。”
另一位球员表示，NBA面临的任何严重问题都被联盟中涌现的天赋所掩盖了。
“我真的觉得，有了文班、卢卡，甚至还有勒布朗，他们吸引了太多的注意力，以至于现在像我这样的一些人都忘了大部分事情发生过，”该球员说，“但它们确实发生了。我没有忽视它，但我不认为比赛的诚信受到了威胁。”
球员们对摆烂也有强烈的看法。
摆烂问题有多严重？
这是一个每个球员都会关注的问题，因为无论他为哪支球队效力，他都会参加一些某支球队为了未来而宁愿输掉的比赛。
在球迷和记者的闲谈中，“球队”会被指责摆烂。但场上的球员根本不在乎未来的选秀顺位。他们努力赢球或打出好的表现，是为了赢得更大的合同或在其他球队获得新机会——这种努力通常会转化为胜利。
“摆烂”是指确保球队最好的球员无法出场帮助球队获胜。
“我对这件事很反感，我认为联盟需要采取行动，”一位球员说。
“这非常糟糕，”另一位球员说，“我看到有些说法，说这……就像是给垫底球队举办的锦标赛。”
另一位球员表示，摆烂“扼杀了联盟。输球不应该得到奖励。”
目前，萧华在联盟高管的建议下，正致力于通过扩大选秀抽签范围、平摊获得状元签的概率以及在选秀中惩罚长期表现糟糕的球队，来取消这些奖励。
但为了通过选秀重建而摆烂一两个赛季的做法在NBA并不新鲜。例如，在大多数标准下都是模范球队的圣安东尼奥马刺队，就曾在1996-97赛季被广泛指责摆烂，从而获得了选中蒂姆·邓肯 (Tim Duncan) 的机会。他们在邓肯的新秀赛季赢了56场比赛，并连续22年打进季后赛，夺得五次总冠军。随后，他们又被指责在2022-23赛季“摆烂”以获得法国天才维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama)。看看现在的进展就知道了。
还有很多其他的例子。不同之处或许在于本赛季一些球队的做法太过露骨，从交易来球星却让他们在输球期间作壁上观，到在2月份——赛季还剩好几个月时——就从比赛中撤下核心球员。
“这种情况一直存在，联盟也没出什么事，”一位球员说。
“（其他球队）摆烂挺好的，因为（他们）现在就是在送我们一场胜利，”另一位球员说，“我觉得这对篮球运动不好，但我觉得通过摆烂，你可以获得一些在努力赢球时未必能获得个人机会。我认为这很重要。”
一位球员称摆烂只是个“微小的问题”，并提醒我们这并不总是奏效。
“独行侠去年拿到了状元签，”他说。他指的是达拉斯在只有1.8%的概率获得状元签的情况下，反超了10支战绩比他们更差的球队。
如果你当一天总裁，拥有推行任何变革的广泛权力，你会对联盟做出什么改变？
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NBA球员希望打更少的比赛，减少每周的比赛频率，拥有更多在防守端痛击对手的机会，以及有更多的球队可以对阵。
大概就是这样。
“简单的答案是减少比赛，但我会说这只是个半成品答案，因为我不知道如何弥补损失的收入，”一位愿意正视减少常规赛场次所带来的显而易见问题的球员说道。
NBA的财务结构是建立在每支球队在常规赛打82场比赛的基础上的。减少这个数字从表面上看意味着每个人的收入都会减少，或者需要重新谈判联盟丰厚的电视合同和与球员的劳资协议，以应对赛季缩减带来的连锁反应。
减少NBA赛程的通常理由是，随着比赛节奏的加快，伤病情况有所增加，尤其是球星。理论上，更少的损耗可能意味着更多顶级球员能够参加更多的比赛。
“我想减掉10场比赛，就像（勇士队主教练史蒂夫·）科尔 (Steve Kerr) 说的那样，”一位球员说道。这呼应了一种普遍的情绪，这种情绪实际上是由科尔在本赛季的公开评论中推动的。“那是明智的。”
取消背靠背比赛对球员来说是一个合理的目标，因为这不仅涉及到损耗问题，还涉及到残酷的旅行安排——即使拥有现代化的NBA旅行设施，也必须在上一场比赛结束不到24小时后在另一个城市参加比赛。
至于辅助防守的规则变更，球员们要求的一些内容包括在防守时对使用手部的规则更加宽松。还有一些是关于护筐的——允许防守者像在FIBA规则下那样从篮筐上把球拨走。
“我会让防守再次变得合法，”一位球员说，“让篮球回归篮球。让我们不要只偏向进攻，因为那是我们认为人们想看的。就让篮球回归篮球吧。这是一项美丽的运动。”
“我会让比赛增加一点身体对抗，”另一位球员说，“很多骗犯规之类的东西就不会那么管用了。”
不出所料，球员们希望裁判也面临和他们一样的审查。
“球员会受到批评；裁判如果吹了一场糟糕的比赛，也应该受到批评，”一位球员说，这是球员们提出的惩罚裁判的想法中较温和的一个。
假设让球员坐在萧华的位置上，通常会激发出一些富有创意、有趣的回答，避开联盟面临的那些严肃问题的阴霾。
一位呼吁设立四分线的球员说：“那得设得很远。得在——你知道三分线上面那些条纹吗？得设在那附近。”
一位呼吁缩短进攻时限（NBA比赛中每回合有24秒进攻时间）的球员表示，创纪录的高分会飙升得更高。“如果你把时限改成20秒或18秒，比分可能会达到175到200分。我经常玩2K。他们有规则变更，有很多种，我在2K里最喜欢的就是缩短进攻时限。”
“然后人们会惊呼，兄弟，比分是180比160。”
一位球员想禁止所有罚球，直到第四节最后四分钟。另一位想放宽进出加拿大的海关限制（额，那不归萧华管）。一位球员建议对假摔处以长达一年的禁赛。
哦，还有一位球员说，“让‘幻影城之夜’（Magic City Night）回归吧。”
我们就翻译到这里。
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
点击查看原文：Anonymous NBA player poll 2026: Players see no integrity problem, despite gambling, tanking issues
Anonymous NBA player poll 2026: Players see no integrity problem, despite gambling, tanking issues
The Athletic has live coverage of 76ers vs. Knicks in Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Does the NBA have an integrity problem? A strong majority of its players don’t think so, but they also see a troubling trend developing of issues that could damage the league’s reputation if they aren’t addressed.
In our latest installment of *The Athletic’*s anonymous player poll, we asked more than 150 players if the league’s biggest controversies this season — gambling, tanking and accusations that the LA Clippers circumvented the salary cap with Kawhi Leonard — called the NBA’s integrity into question.
We also asked specifically about “tanking,” or executives and coaches rigging lineups, rotations and player availability to give their teams the best chance to lose to improve their draft status, and we asked what the players would change about the NBA if they could have commissioner Adam Silver’s job.
Nearly 75 percent of respondents said the league’s integrity was not in danger; about 72 percent said “tanking” was either a “little problem” or not one at all; and far more players would rather see the NBA eliminate games on consecutive nights, reduce the regular season from its long-held 82-game schedule or change the rules to allow for more defense, than do something about gambling, tanking or the Clippers.
“The league is actively trying to be better,” said one player, acknowledging the serious issues facing the NBA. “If you have an integrity problem, you just don’t care.”
Training camps were still a couple of weeks away in September when the Clippers were accused of cheating by arranging a lucrative no-show job with a team sponsor for Leonard so he could be paid outside the salary cap. The Clippers insist they are innocent, and the league’s investigation is ongoing.
On the morning of Day 3 of the regular season, sweeping federal gambling charges were announced against Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA assistant coach Damon Jones. In a dramatic scene at the courthouse in Brooklyn, Justice Department officials, including FBI director Kash Patel, laid out allegations of Billups and Jones rigging poker games with gangsters, Rozier intentionally removing himself from a game to win bets, and Jones selling inside information on star Lakers players to gamblers so they could win money. Jones pleaded guilty to the charges. Billups missed the entire season, as did Rozier, who was released by the Heat. The NBA reopened its gambling investigations to see what it missed and changed injury reporting rules for teams to provide more clarity, earlier in the day, as to who will play each night.
The dominant topic of discussion in the league over the last three months has been tanking. The NBA fined two teams and investigated at least one more for doing it, and it is nearing dramatic rule changes to disincentivize losing games for better draft picks.
*The Athletic’*s poll was conducted before the Heat released Rozier and Jones pleaded guilty in the gambling cases, and before the league unveiled its latest anti-tanking measures. As always, we granted the players anonymity to give them the freedom to answer honestly, without fear of reprisals from opponents, teammates or fans. For transparency and context, we’ll tell you how many people responded to each topic.
Is the integrity of the game in danger?
Is the integrity of the game in danger? (2026 Poll)
Is the integrity of the game in danger? (2026 Poll)
An informal analysis of the answers to this question came down to the players collectively saying, “No, but…”
“I don’t think we have an integrity issue,” one player said. "It’s almost like it’s the beginning of possible issues that could happen because of gambling. It’s getting more negative attention that could affect the purity of the game.
“The purists, we just want to play.”
To be clear, the NBA didn’t legalize gambling — the U.S. Supreme Court did, essentially, by ruling that it was up to each state to allow (or not) sports betting within its borders. Thirty-nine states, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, have taken the high court up on its offer.
But in the aftermath of that 2018 Supreme Court ruling that paved the way for widespread legal betting, the NBA (and other major pro sports) eagerly pursued partnerships with sportsbooks so the league could make money off bets placed on its games. The coziness between the league and the sports books, and the proliferation of betting among fans, is what the players feel — and they see it as a problem.
“They have to do something with gambling,” one player said. “If they don’t, the league is in trouble.”
“The gambling with social media is a dangerous combination — it has too much of an impact on the game,” said another.
A third player said, “We go out, and I can hear a fan say, ‘Please get 11 points,’ you know what I’m saying? I just feel like that’s (messed) the game up a little bit.”
Gambling was, by far, the reason most often cited by players who said the NBA’s integrity was in danger, or suggested that it could be if changes weren’t made.
All season long, players in all 30 locker rooms have loathed offering takes in either direction on one of their colleagues (Leonard) and his off-court earning opportunities. Leonard, like the Clippers, has insisted there is no wrongdoing.
“I don’t think the (NBA’s) integrity is in danger; I think it’s just a lot of new stuff people are taking advantage of,” said one player, offering a broader answer than simply “betting” as the thing that could trip up the league. “It’s just like college with NIL starting. You don’t have specific rules until someone tries to alter or break them, and then you find more reasons to implement different rules.”
Another player said any serious issues facing the NBA are overshadowed by the talent coursing through the league.
“I really feel like with the Wembys and Lukas and even still LeBron, they drove so much attention that even now some people like myself forgot that most of that stuff even happened,” the player said. “But it still happened. I didn’t ignore it, but I don’t think the integrity of the game is at stake.”
Players had strong feelings about tanking, too.
How much of a problem is tanking?
How much of a problem is tanking for the NBA? (2026 Poll)
How much of a problem is tanking for the NBA? (2026 Poll)
It’s an issue on every player’s radar because, no matter which team he plays for, he is going to play in games where one franchise would prefer to lose for the betterment of its future.
In casual conversation among fans and reporters, “teams” are accused of tanking. But the players on the court could not care less about future draft positions. They’re trying to win or play well enough to earn a larger contract or new opportunity with a different team — the kind of effort that can lead to winning.
“Tanking” is about making sure a team’s best players are simply not available to help them win.
“I’m salty on this one, I think the league needs to do something about it,” one player said.
“It is very terrible,” said another. “I’ve seen some things where people say it’s … a tournament for teams that are in last place.”
Another player said tanking “kills the league. You shouldn’t be rewarded for losing.”
Well, Silver, with input from league executives, is working to take those rewards away by expanding the draft lottery, flattening odds of securing the top pick and punishing teams in the draft that are consistently bad from season to season.
But the practice of sandbagging for a season or two to build through the draft is not exactly new in the NBA. For instance, the San Antonio Spurs, a model franchise by most standards, were widely accused of tanking the 1996-97 season, resulting in a chance to draft Tim Duncan. They won 56 games in Duncan’s rookie year and reached the playoffs 22 years in a row with five titles, and then were accused of “tanking” in 2022-23 to land French sensation Victor Wembanyama. Look how that’s gone.
There are plenty of other examples. The difference, perhaps, was the egregiousness of what teams did this season, from making trades for stars and stashing them away while they lost, to pulling key players from games in February — with months left in the season.
“It’s kind of gone on forever, and the league’s been fine,” one player said.
“It’s cool if (other teams) tank because (they’re) just giving us free games right now,” another player said. “I feel like it’s not good for the game of basketball, but I feel like with tanking, you get individual opportunities that necessarily wouldn’t have been opportunities if you’re trying to win. And I think that’s huge.”
One player called tanking a “tiny problem” and reminded us that it doesn’t always work.
“The Mavericks got the No. 1 pick last year,” he said, referring to Dallas overcoming a 1.8 percent chance of getting the No. 1 pick and leapfrogging 10 teams that were all worse than it.
If you were commissioner for a day, with broad power to push through any change, what change would you make to the league?
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NBA players want to play less, and less often during the week, with more opportunities to bludgeon their opponents on defense and more teams to play against.
Or something like that.
“The easy answer is less games, but I would say that’s a half-answer because I don’t know how we make the money up,” said a player who was willing to address the obvious problem created by reducing the number of regular-season games.
The NBA’s financial structure is built on the idea that each team will play 82 games during the regular season. Reducing that number should, ostensibly, mean less money for everyone, or the reopening of the league’s lucrative TV contracts and the collective bargaining agreement with players, to address the domino effect of shrinking the season.
The reason typically stated for reducing the NBA schedule is the uptick in injuries, especially to star players, as the pace of play has increased. Less wear and tear could, in theory, mean more of the game’s top players are available to play in more games.
“I’d like to take out 10 games, like (Warriors coach Steve) Kerr said,” one player said, echoing a common sentiment that was, in fact, driven by Kerr in his public comments this season. “That’s smart.”
Getting rid of games on consecutive nights makes sense as a goal for players, because of the same wear-and-tear concerns as well as the brutal travel schedules of having to play in a different city less than 24 hours after a previous night’s game ends — even with the amenities of modern NBA travel.
As for rule changes to aid the defense, some of what the players asked for included more lenient rules for using their hands while defending. Some were about rim protection — allowing defenders to take the ball off the rim as they do under FIBA rules.
“I would make defense legal again,” one player said. “Let basketball be basketball. Let’s tilt it one way, because that’s what we think people want to see. Let’s just let basketball be basketball. It’s a beautiful game.”
“I’d make the game a little bit more physical,” another player said. “A lot of the foul baiting stuff and everything wouldn’t really be as useful.”
Not surprisingly, players wanted referees to face the same scrutiny they feel they face.
“Players can get criticized; referees should too if they have a bad game,” said one player, offering one of the milder ideas players had for penalizing the refs.
Hypothetically putting the players in Silver’s chair can, and often does, elicit creative, fun responses that steer clear of the doom and gloom of legitimate problems facing the league.
One player who called for a 4-point line said, “It would have to be pretty far. It would have to be — you know those stripes above the 3-point line? It would have to be stuck around there.”
A player calling for a shorter shot clock (teams get 24 seconds to shoot each possession in NBA games) said record highs in scoring would soar even higher. "You change the clock to 20 (seconds) or 18, games would be at like, 175 to 200 (points). I play 2K a lot. They got the rule changes, and there’s a bunch of them, and my favorite one on 2K is to decrease the shot clock.
“And then people are like, bro, scores are 180-160.”
One player wants to outlaw all foul shots until there are fewer than four minutes left in the fourth quarter. Another wanted to ease customs restrictions going into and out of Canada (yeah, that’s not up to Silver). One player suggested year-long suspensions for flopping.
Oh, and one player said, “Bring Magic City Night back.”
We’ll show ourselves out.
By Joe Vardon, Sam Amick and Josh Robbins, via The Athletic