Billups arrested in federal gambling probe
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Chauncey Billups was arrested on charges of fraud and money laundering. Photo: Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
The Blazers' young season was thrown into turmoil Thursday after coach Chauncey Billups was arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering as part of a federal investigation into rigged poker games tied to organized crime, prosecutors said.
Why it matters: Billups was one of multiple current and former NBA players and coaches who were arrested in gambling-related investigations, according to officials, and it came on the heels of the Trailblazers season-opening loss at home Wednesday.
State of play: The arrests stem from two separate but related investigations into illegal sports betting and rigged poker games, prosecutors said at a press conference Thursday.
- Billups, who was hired as the Blazers' coach in 2021, is accused of acting as a "face card," a celebrity used to attract unsuspecting players, or "fish," to the games.
- The games were rigged, prosecutors said, using high-tech shuffling machines that identified which players had the best hands, and X-ray tables that could read a players' cards even when face down.
- Federal officials said the games took place in New York, Las Vegas and Miami and were held under the supervision of organized crime families.
The other side: Billups' attorney, Chris Heywood, said in a statement Thursday that his client was "a man of integrity," per the New York Times.
- "To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal government is accusing him of is to believe that he would risk his hall-of-fame legacy, his reputation, and his freedom," Heywood wrote. "He would not jeopardize those things for anything, let alone a card game."
The big picture: Billups, who signed a multiyear extension with the team in April, was put on "immediate leave" by the NBA Thursday, per the Oregonian.
- The team named Tiago Splitter, who played in the NBA for 11 seasons and joined the Blazers earlier this year as an assistant coach, as Billups' interim replacement, ESPN reported.
- Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was also among those arrested for allegedly providing insider information to his gambling partners to place fraudulent bets on NBA games, and more than 30 individuals were indicted Thursday in connection to two cases, per the Oregonian.
Billups — a Hall of Famer, NBA champion and the 2004 NBA Finals MVP — allegedly participated in the rigged games in Las Vegas around April 2019, according to the Oregonian, citing the indictment.
What they're saying: "My message to the defendants who've been rounded up today is this ...Your winning streak has ended. Your luck has run out," Interim U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella said at a news conference Thursday morning.
- "Violating the law is a losing proposition and you can bet on that."
What's next: Billups was scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Portland on Thursday, prosecutors said.
Editor's note: This report has been updated with comment from Billups' attorney.