Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups has been charged in an illegal poker operation linked to the mafia, while Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier is among several people charged in a separate but related illegal gambling case, authorities announced Thursday.
Billups, in his fifth season as head coach, was arrested in Oregon, where he is expected to make an initial court appearance Thursday, sources said.
The poker games were allegedly rigged in favor of those who ran them, using advanced technology such as rigged shuffling machines and even X-ray technology to read cards face down on the table, U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said.
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups reacts during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Portland, Oregon.
Jenny Kane/AP
Cristobal Raia, deputy director in charge of The FBI’s New York field office called it a “massive nationwide takedown” of 34 defendants in connection with two separate illegal sports betting and poker schemes.
Those charged include current and former NBA coaches and players, as well as 13 mob members and associates, Raia said.
Billups coached the Trail Blazers in the season opener on Wednesday night, a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Billups was also a Hall of Fame player, primarily for the Detroit Pistons, before retiring in 2014. He was a five-time All-Star in his 17 years in the NBA and led the Pistons to the 2004 NBA title, being named Finals MVP.
He was the third overall pick in 1997 and finished his career with 15.2 points and 5.4 assists per game.
Rozier and former Cleveland Cavaliers player and assistant coach Damon Jones were charged in a separate case, authorities announced.
They allegedly passed inside information to four co-defendants, who are accused of passing the information to a network of sports bettors, sources said. Those bettors allegedly placed bets at online sportsbooks or retail outlets, which prohibit bets based on non-public information.
Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier drives to the basket as Memphis Grizzlies guard Javon Small defends during the second half of an NBA preseason basketball game, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Miami.
Marta Lavandier/AP
The indictment included an example from March 23, 2023, when Rozier, then playing for the Charlotte Hornets, allegedly tipped off a co-defendant that he planned to leave the game early with a suspected injury, sources said. He left the game nine minutes later. A co-defendant and others allegedly placed $200,000 in bets, betting that Rozier would underperform his statistics.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced the charges at a news conference Thursday and said more than 30 people were arrested in the “historic” and ongoing cases.
Rozier is in his 11th year in the league. He has appeared in 665 games and has averaged 13.9 points per game in 665 games played. He was a key contributor for the Boston Celtics in the playoffs in 2016-19 before joining the Hornets.
His team opened the 2025 season Wednesday night in Orlando, but Rozier did not play due to a hamstring injury.
Last year, former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter pleaded guilty to wire fraud and received a lifetime ban from the NBA after betting on his team to lose, pretending to be harmed for gambling purposes and sharing confidential information with players.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
