The FBI has arrested Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups for alleged illegal gambling, ESPN has reported.
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According to NBA Senior Insider Shams Charania, sources said that authorities arrested both Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier as part of a "pair of investigations" into illegal gambling. Charania said that Rozier's arrest took place on Thursday morning in Orlando, Florida. Billups' arrest took place in Oregon.
According to ABC News, law enforcement sources say that the Trail Blazers head coach has been charged in an illegal poker operation tied to the Mafia. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed this during a Thursday press conference when he called this a "historic arrest across a wide sweeping criminal enterprise that envelopes both the NBA and LA Cosa Nostra."
ABC News also reported that former Cleveland Cavaliers player and assistant coach Damon Jones was arrested on Thursday in relation to an illegal gambling investigation. He and Rozier are among six people charged with using inside information to place unlawful wagers.
Director Patel said that this is an illegal gambling operation and sports rigging operation that's lasted for years. He added that the FBI arrested over 30 individuals on Thursday during a coordinated operation across 11 states.
🚨🚨🚨BREAKING NEWS: FBI Director Kash Patel announces indictments of famous athletes and coaches as well as members of the La Cosa Nostra (Bonano, Gambino & Genovese) crime families as part of a sweeping illegal gambling investigation involving over 30 arrests across 11 states.… pic.twitter.com/f2Z78XK82j
— Plein Crazy (@PleinCrazy) October 23, 2025
"The fraud is mind-boggling," Director Patel said. "It's not hundreds of dollars. It's not thousands of dollars. It's not tens of thousands of dollars. It's not even millions of dollars. We're talking about tens of millions of dollars in fraud, and theft, and robbery across a multi-year investigation."
Billups, a Colorado native, played in the NBA for 17 seasons while suiting up for multiple teams. He won the 2004 title with the Detroit Pistons and earned Finals MVP honors. He earned All-Defensive honors twice, All-NBA honors three times, and All-Star honors five times. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024.
Billups last played in the 2013-14 season. He has been the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers since the 2021 season.
Rozier is currently in his 11th season in the NBA. The former first-round pick spent the first four seasons with the Boston Celtics. He then spent just over four seasons with the Charlotte Hornets before a trade sent him to the Miami Heat last season. He has appeared in 665 games while averaging 13.9 points per game.
ESPN notes that Rozier's case has ties to one involving former Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges for his role in a scheme involving player prop bets. Porter awaits sentencing.
