Chauncey Billups and another gambling scandal cast a darker cloud over the NBA Ben RohrbachOctober 24, 2025 at 3:13 AM 0 In the NBA world, Chauncey Billups is known as "Mr. Big Shot.
- - Chauncey Billups and another gambling scandal cast a darker cloud over the NBA
Ben RohrbachOctober 24, 2025 at 3:13 AM
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In the NBA world, Chauncey Billups is known as "Mr. Big Shot." The 49-year-old has been widely respected for more than two decades as the point guard of the 2004 NBA champion Detroit Pistons — a leader of men who was more recently tasked with a similar role as head coach of the upstart Portland Trail Blazers.
Off the court, though, nearly 30 years since an alleged sexual assault scandal, Billups now stands accused of another crime, according to the FBI: Rigging high-stakes poker games in coordination with the Mafia.
Billups is among dozens of defendants who were arrested on Thursday in connection with a pair of sports gambling schemes. In one, Billups is alleged to have used his status as a Hall of Fame player to lure, or "fish," unsuspecting players into a series of rigged poker games. Those games, played in the Hamptons in New York, Manhattan, Las Vegas and Miami, had alleged ties to the Bonanno, Gambino and Genovese crime families.
Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Damon Jones were also arrested Thursday for a "separate but related" gambling case. The extent of their connections is unclear, but Rozier and Jones are accused of passing inside information to bettors who used that info to wager.
here are the details of the alleged fraudulent poker games involving Chauncey Billups, as explained by an FBI official. It sounds extremely sophisticated. pic.twitter.com/hdhLv1YGY9
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 23, 2025
In 1997, Billups and fellow former NBA player Ron Mercer were accused of sexually assaulting a woman at the home of then-Celtics teammate Antoine Walker. Though no criminal charges were filed, a medical examination showed injuries to the alleged victim's throat, cervix and rectum consistent with testimony.
More than two decades later, the Blazers cleared Billups of any wrongdoing.
"We commissioned our own independent investigation into the incident in 1997," said then-Blazers GM Neil Olshey, who has since been fired for allegedly creating a toxic work environment. "Our investigation corroborated what Chauncey told us, that nothing non-consensual occurred. We stand by Chauncey."
It is impossible to imagine the Blazers standing by Billups through a second scandal, though there may be legal ramifications to parting ways with the coach before a verdict is reached in this case. Portland signed Billups to a contract extension in April. How the Blazers navigate the interim is anyone's guess. Portland assistant Tiago Splitter will fill Billups' lead role for the time being, per ESPN's Shams Charania.
The NBA may intervene, even possibly banning Billups for life, as it has others involved in gambling scandals. It is important to note, however, that Billups is not charged with gambling on any NBA games.
Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups was arrested Thursday as part of an FBI investigation into illegal gambling. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images) (Soobum Im via Getty Images)
"We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictments announced today," the NBA proclaimed in a statement to the media on Thursday. "Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups are being placed on immediate leave from their teams, and we will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities. We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority."
Still, this scandal casts a darker cloud over a league also embroiled in another scandal — that of Kawhi Leonard's alleged "no-show" sponsorship deal with Aspiration. The NBA is actively investigating the Los Angeles Clippers, who will host the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, for allegedly circumventing the salary cap.
It also comes at a time of increased gambling scandals in the sport, all as the NBA has openly embraced partnerships with gambling companies in recent years. Last year, the league banned former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter for allegedly "disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes, and betting on NBA games."
NBA free agent Malik Beasley is also currently under investigation by the league for gambling allegations linked to a federal probe.
While Billups may not be alleged to have gambled on NBA games, it is not difficult for the public to make a leap from, "If he was willing to work with organized crime," to, "What else would he be willing to do?"
Either way, Thursday's drama undermines the credibility of a league that was embroiled in a betting scandal in 2007, when former referee Tim Donaghy pleaded guilty to gambling on games he officiated. How can fans trust that some aspects of the sport are not rigged when the allegations are increasing?
That did not prevent the NBA from becoming the first major American sports league to partner with gambling companies in recent years. The toothpaste is out of the tube, and it is not likely to go back in.
It was only Tuesday when NBA commissioner Adam Silver told ESPN, "We've asked some of our partners to pull back some of the prop bets, especially when they're on two-way players, guys who don't have the same stake in the competition, where it's too easy to manipulate something, which seems otherwise small and inconsequential to the overall score. We're trying to put in place — learning as we go and working with the betting companies — some additional control to prevent some of that manipulation."
"Inconsequential" is an interesting term there. Are we to assume that none of the recent gambling-related scandals had any impact on the outcome of games, perhaps even ones you might have bet on?
These are the questions the NBA is going to be asked. It appears, at least, as though the league will wash its hands of this, maybe even banning Thursday's arrestees for life, allowing the authorities to police the NBA for it and asking its players to obey the law despite massive financial incentives to the contrary.
That is life outside the NBA world, I guess.
Source: "AOL Sports"
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