MACAU (AFP) — Team USA hoped the NBA betting scandal was over on Wednesday after ex-referee Tim Donaghy was jailed for 15 months, despite fears of further shock revelations.
Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh said Donaghy's sentence, for helping gamblers and betting on games he officiated, would serve as a warning against corruption.
"That was an unfortunate circumstance but I'm sure that other guys have seen it and they're taking note to it and they won't walk up that path," Bosh said.
"It's an unfortunate situation. You just have to hope that every ref should be honest in their job."
NBA commissioner David Stern has portrayed Donaghy as a "rogue" official working alone as he strives to draw a line under the embarrassing affair.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant backed Stern and said he doubted illicit betting was widespread in the league.
"If it was, I'm sure a lot of stuff would have come out already," Bryant said. "The commissioner has already stated it was a rogue incident and that's what we're going to go by."
Bryant added that he had no doubts about the Lakers' 2002 play-offs against the Sacramento Kings, which Donaghy has claimed were rigged. The Lakers won the seven-game series and went on to win the title.
"Not at all," Bryant said. "That series was a hard series. We had games we shot many free throws, we had games we didn't shoot too many free throws. In game seven they missed more than we made."
Donaghy, 41, said he had "brought shame on myself and my family" as he received his relatively light sentence -- half that demanded by prosecutors -- in New York late on Tuesday.
Last week, the same court sentenced Donaghy's former school friends and co-conspirators, professional gambler James Battista and middleman Thomas Martino, to 15 months and 12 months in jail respectively.
The disgraced referee was described by his defence lawyers as a pathological gambling addict who needed treatment. He placed bets on more than 100 NBA games he officiated from 2003 through 2006.
As an NBA investigator continues to look into the incident, Donaghy has also sparked a wider FBI probe after claiming the corruption spread further.
Donaghy said several other officials have been involved in questionable actions violating NBA rules, including relationships with coaches, club executives and players.
He also claims there was match-fixing in the 2002 and 2005 NBA play-offs, pointing the finger at still-serving referee Dick Bavetta.
"This story has not ended," said John Lauro, Donaghy's attorney.
Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony said he hoped the matter was in the past, as the USA practised in the cavernous Cotai Arena, adjacent to one of Macau's many casinos.
"Whatever happened, happened. I don't really know too much of the details about what happened," Anthony said. "Obviously he got his time, he got his sentence."
Team USA are warming up for the Olympics with games here against Turkey and Lithuania on Thursday and Friday. They then face Russia and Australia in Shanghai.
The US team are bidding to end an eight-year international title drought after flops at the last two World Championships and Athens 2004.
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