FBI agents grabbed Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups Thursday in connection with a $7 million mob-tied gambling operation. The arrest adds another troubling chapter in the NBA's fight against illegal betting.
The NBA Hall of Famer now faces wire fraud and money laundering charges. If found guilty, he could spend up to twenty years behind bars for each count.
Through spy cameras hidden in chip trays, agents discovered rigged poker games running from New York to Las Vegas and Miami. The operation involved three big crime families: Bonanno, Gambino, and Genovese.
The mess got bigger when Miami's Terry Rozier and Cleveland assistant Damon Jones were charged with leaking inside info to gamblers. The NBA quickly benched all three men.
This arrest wraps up a huge FBI operation across 11 states, catching 30 people in total. Agents tracked the Portland coach's supposed involvement back to 2019, putting together their case piece by piece.
Things first looked fishy when betting sites spotted weird patterns in Rozier's March 2023 game numbers. The sketchy activity led to betting shutdowns, similar to the recent Jontay Porter mess.
Defense lawyer Chris Heywood slammed the charges as completely false. Meanwhile, Portland put assistant Tiago Splitter in charge to help the team push forward.
The drama adds to the NBA's growing headaches, from the Clippers' money troubles to weird questions about Kawhi Leonard's deals. It comes right after Porter got kicked out for life earlier this year.
Commissioner Adam Silver rolled out tougher rules with betting partners, especially targeting prop bet cheating involving two-way players.
The news hits Portland at the worst time, just after giving their head coach more time last April. The 49-year-old's amazing playing career included Finals MVP and seven All-Star appearances before making the Hall of Fame in 2024.
