NBA Stars Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier Among Dozens Arrested in FBI Illegal Gambling Probe

NBA Hall of Famer and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier are among more than 30 people charged Thursday in two sweeping federal gambling investigations linked to organized crime and professional basketball, according to Reuters.

Authorities said one scheme centered on insider sports betting, while the other involved rigged poker games across the United States. Both operations allegedly spanned several years and generated tens of millions of dollars in illegal profits.

At a press conference in Brooklyn, FBI Director Kash Patel said the indictments include allegations of wire fraud, money laundering, extortion, and unlawful gambling.

How the Schemes Worked

According to U.S. officials, Rozier was among several NBA insiders who allegedly provided non-public information about their expected game performance to criminal associates. Those associates then placed multiple wagers through straw bettors based on the tips.

In one example from March 2023, Rozier reportedly told associates he would exit a game early due to a supposed injury — information that was allegedly used to profit from wagers when he failed to meet his projected statistics. “This is the NBA’s version of insider trading,” Patel said.

Meanwhile, Billups, 49, was charged in a separate case involving a poker-rigging operation that defrauded unsuspecting players enticed by the chance to play against celebrities. Officials said the operation employed fraudulent card shufflers, x-ray tables, and other forms of sophisticated technology.

Organized crime families in New York allegedly took a share of the profits, using extortion and robbery to collect debts and laundering the proceeds through cryptocurrency and other channels.

Legal Responses

Rozier’s attorney, James Trusty, criticized the case, saying prosecutors “appear to be taking the word of spectacularly incredible sources rather than relying on actual evidence of wrongdoing.” He added that Rozier had already been cleared by the NBA and accused prosecutors of “reviving a non-case.”

Player Backgrounds

Rozier, 31, is in his 11th NBA season, averaging 13.9 points per game over his career. He drew scrutiny in 2023 after sportsbooks flagged an unusual number of bets predicting he would go under his stats. That same game, he left after nine minutes with an injury. He was arrested in Orlando, Florida, ahead of the Heat’s game against the Magic and was expected to appear in court Thursday afternoon.

Billups, in his fifth year as Portland’s head coach, won an NBA championship with the Detroit Pistons in 2004, earning Finals MVP honors. He was set to make an initial court appearance later Thursday in Portland.

Broader Context

The charges come amid mounting concern over gambling in North American professional sports. In recent years, players across the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL have faced disciplinary action for betting-related misconduct.

Former NBA player Jontay Porter was banned for life and later pleaded guilty in 2024 to manipulating his on-court performance to aid associates in betting schemes — a case authorities said is linked to Thursday’s indictments.