In 2007, the NBA was rocked by the sports gambling scandal involving now disgraced ref Tim Donaghy, who was arrested and later convicted for fixing the outcome of games he refereed, and bet on.
While many know Donaghy’s side of the story, Vice Sports just released an interview with the mastermind of the operation, Jimmy “The Sheep” Battista, who discusses his rise from low level bet runner to game fixer, and the inner workings and eventual downfall of the Donaghy operation.
‘The Sheep’ first came in contact with Donaghy through Donaghy’s older brother – who he knew from high school – and ultimately made him an offer that was too good for the ref and degenerate gambler to pass up. The scheme all came crashing down when the FBI learned of a gambling racket with an NBA official on a Gambino mob family wiretap. After that, it was only a matter of time before the feds identified Donaghy, and later Battista. Both were arrested and served 15 months for their roles in the operation.
The segment is about 11-minutes, but if you’re fascinated by the story behind the story, it’s worth taking the time to watch.
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