An NBA coach, a star player, and a former player were arrested Thursday as part of a federal investigation into illegal gambling, multiple outlets are reporting. Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups was arrested in Oregon as part of a gambling case said to involve the Mafia, per ESPN. Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, who transitioned from the Charlotte Hornets in 2024, was taken into custody in Orlando as part of a separate but related case, also involving former Cleveland Cavaliers player and assistant coach Damon Jones, per ABC News. Jones is reportedly accused of providing inside information about NBA games.
Billups had a 17-year NBA career as a player, earning the nickname "Mr. Big Shot" after helping lead the Detroit Pistons to an NBA championship in 2004, per NBC News. He retired as a player in 2014, later working as an ESPN analyst before moving into coaching and landing the Trail Blazers' head job in 2021. Rozier, a 10-year NBA veteran and Ohio native, was a first-round pick by the Boston Celtics in 2015. The AP describes accusations of shady dealings related to a March 23, 2023 game between the Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans, in which Rozier left after playing only 10 minutes. The NBA previously investigated Rozier, but the player was later told he'd been cleared, reports ESPN.
Neither the Heat nor the Trail Blazers have issued public statements regarding the arrests. This investigation follows other recent gambling scandals involving NBA figures, including the indictment of Gilbert Arenas and the lifetime ban of Jontay Porter, raising fresh concerns about the intersection of professional basketball and illegal betting. The new case was brought by the same US attorney's office in Brooklyn that prosecuted Porter, per the AP. Law enforcement officials, including FBI Director Kash Patel, are expected to speak about the case at a news conference later Thursday.
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