Antonio Blakeney, a former All-American college basketball player, is among 17 athletes indicted in a widespread point-shaving scheme aimed at fixing games in both the NCAA and the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). The indictment, released on Thursday in Philadelphia, details an operation that allegedly ran from September 2022 to February 2025, defrauding numerous sportsbooks and individual bettors.
According to the indictment, the involved athletes accepted bribes to manipulate game outcomes, significantly impacting the betting landscape. “The sportsbooks would not have paid out those wagers had they known that the defendants fixed those games,” the document stated. A total of 20 defendants are implicated, including players and individuals described as “fixers,” who placed large bets on the games they had coordinated to influence.
The indictment highlights the nature of the deception, emphasizing that the manipulated games should have been determined based on fair competition and the players’ best efforts. More troubling is the revelation that two of the involved players, Cedquavious Hunter and Dequavion Short from New Orleans, had already faced sanctions from the NCAA in November for their roles in fixing games.
Blakeney, recognized for his scoring prowess in the CBA, was allegedly recruited by fixers Marves Fairley and Shane Hennen, who offered him bribes to intentionally underperform in games. It is claimed that Blakeney also encouraged fellow teammates to participate in the scheme. After their initial success with fixed CBA games, the conspirators are accused of turning their focus to NCAA matches, recruiting players to ensure their teams did not cover the betting spread either in the first half or the entirety of games.
The indictment reveals that bribe amounts ranged from $10,000 to $30,000 per game, an appealing figure that surpasses many players’ legitimate income potential through name, image, and likeness opportunities. Targeting underdog teams, the fixers deliberately sought to rig outcomes that would negatively affect betting spreads.
This alarming situation underscores the ongoing challenges in maintaining the integrity of sports amid rising betting markets and highlights the lengths to which some will go to exploit the system for personal gain. As the legal process unfolds, it serves as a reminder of the importance of integrity in both collegiate and professional sports.