NBA Scandal: Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier Arrested for Illegal Betting
Santo Domingo, RD. – A earthquake shakes the basketball world. Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat point guard Terry Rozier have been arrested this Thursday in connection with federal investigations into illegal sports betting and poker game manipulation.
The arrests are the result of an FBI operation that spanned 11 states and over a year, with a total of 34 people detained and tens of millions of dollars involved. FBI Director Kash Patel has called the case one of the largest sports fraud schemes in the modern era of online betting.
According to the accusation, Rozier would have used privileged information from the NBA to facilitate bets in favor of an organized crime network, receiving payments and percentages of profits in return. The player was arrested in a hotel in Orlando, Florida, shortly after his team lost against the Orlando Magic, in a game in which he did not participate due to a technical decision.
On the other hand, Billups faces charges for organizing and manipulating clandestine poker games in Oregon and New York, allegedly with the support of mafia families. Authorities claim that the accused used advanced technology to defraud the victims of millions of dollars in losses.
“One of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since the legalization of online gambling in the United States.”
Among those arrested is also Damon Jones, former player and former assistant of the Cleveland Cavaliers, accused of providing insider information about NBA games to other involved parties.
Rozier’s case is reminiscent of the scandal in 2024 that led to the expulsion of Jontay Porter, former Toronto Raptors player, after admitting to manipulating his performance to benefit sports betting.
Billups, NBA champion and Finals MVP with the Detroit Pistons in 2004, was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024 and renewed his contract with the Trail Blazers last April. Rozier, 31 years old, is in the final season of his four-year, $96.3 million contract.
The NBA, through its commissioner Adam Silver, has stated that it is working with betting houses to reinforce controls and prevent manipulation in player betting markets.
“We are learning as we go and adjusting the controls to protect the integrity of the game.”
Both Billups and Rozier will have to appear before federal courts in Oregon and Florida, respectively, in the coming hours.
