The three individuals with NBA ties are getting set to make court appearances over charges they were involved in illegal sports betting and rigged poker games backed by organized crime.
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer; Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones were arrested in the early hours of Oct. 23, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York laid out their case in an indictment, in which nearly three dozen people were arrested for their roles in the betting and poker game scheme.
‘As alleged, the defendants turned professional basketball into a criminal betting operation, using private locker room and medical information to enrich themselves and cheat legitimate sportsbooks,’ United States Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said. ‘This was a sophisticated conspiracy involving athletes, coaches, and intermediaries who exploited confidential information for profit.’
Here is the latest in the NBA betting scandal that has rocked the league:
Chauncey Billups
Billups is set for a Nov. 24 court date in Brooklyn at federal court in the Eastern District of New York.
The feds say that Billups was a ‘face card’ in the scheme, helping to lure players in April 2019 to games held in Las Vegas, where a rigged shuffling machine was used to dupe victims of at least $50,000.
The 49-year-old Billups, a five-time All-Star who spent 17 seasons in the NBA and won a Finals MVP award with the Detroit Pistons in 2004, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024.
In another part of the indictment tied to gambling, Billups is believed to be ‘Co-Conspirator 8,’ who authorities say gave confidential game information before it was publicly available, and is described as an ex-NBA player who played from 1997 to 2014, an NBA coach since 2021, and an Oregon resident. Billups meets all three of those characteristics.
Terry Rozier
Rozier is also on unpaid leave from the NBA, and federal authorities allege in court documents that the Miami Heat guard provided insider information, which gamblers used to make wagers involving the Los Angeles Lakers, Trail Blazers, Charlotte Hornets, Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors over the span of a year.
Rozier allegedly schemed to leave early during a March 23, 2023, game against the New Orleans Pelicans due to a foot injury. Rozier played less than 10 minutes in the game and did not return, finishing with five points and two assists. The accusation is that Rozier told co-defendant Deniro Laster he would leave the game early, and that information was sold to others, who made the ‘under’ bets.
The next court appearance for Rozier is Dec. 8 at the Brooklyn federal courthouse.
Damon Jones
Jones allegedly shared and sold insider information on numerous occasions about undisclosed details of NBA games, such as lineup decisions and pre-released medical information, to his co-conspirators, who then placed significant wagers based on the tips. The medical information allegedly involved LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who were playing for the Lakers at the time. James and Davis have not being accused of any wrongdoing.
Jones is also accused of using his notoriety to get people to poker games rigged by organized crime figures in order to steal money from them, sometimes using technology, including poker chip trays with hidden cameras, and rigged shuffling machines with the ability to read the cards in the deck.
