Chauncey Billups Pleads Not Guilty in Illegal Gambling Case
Portland Trail Blazers coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of profiting from rigged poker games. Mafia figures and at least one other former NBA player were involved in these games.
Billups, a five-time All-Star and champion with the Detroit Pistons, was processed in a federal court in New York for conspiracy to launder money and wire fraud, crimes that carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Some of Billups’ co-defendants are also accused of running an illegal gambling business and participating in an extortion conspiracy.
During Monday’s brief arraignment, Billups wore a dark gray suit and only answered the judge’s questions with a yes or no.
In a bail hearing held later on Monday morning, the judge released Billups on a $5 million bail. The NBA Hall of Famer used his home in Colorado as collateral and his daughter Cydney, manager of team and player services for the Minnesota Timberwolves, signed the bail as guarantor.
Both Billups and his lawyer Marc Mukasey declined to comment as they left the courthouse.
Billups was possibly the most prominent name among the more than 30 defendants in last month’s extensive federal raid against illegal gambling operations linked to professional sports. The other defendants were also expected to appear in Brooklyn court for Monday’s proceedings.
Prosecutors say the 49-year-old Denver native, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame last year, participated in a scheme to rig illegal mob-backed poker games in Manhattan, Las Vegas, Miami, and the Hamptons.
Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones was also involved in that alleged scheme, which prosecutors say used a series of sophisticated technology that allowed for the rigging of bets, such as machines for shuffling altered cards, hidden cameras in poker chip trays, special sunglasses, and even X-ray equipment integrated into the table to read the cards.
Jones was also charged along with Terry Rozier, guard for the Miami Heat, in a separate scheme that allowed bettors to exploit insider information about players to win bets on NBA games.
Prosecutors allege that the poker scheme in which Billups participated defrauded victims of an estimated $7 million starting in 2019. They say he acted as a celebrity “face” who could attract wealthy and unsuspecting players to the games. Prosecutors said that during one game, the organizers of the scheme exchanged messages saying that one of the victims “acted like he wanted Chauncey to have his money” because he was “dazzled”.
Prosecutors say Billups, who earned around $106 million during his playing days, received a share of the illicit profits. For example, after a fixed game in October 2020, they say he was directly transferred $50,000.
The organizers of the scheme also had to share a portion of their profits with the Gambino, Genovese, and Bonanno crime families for operating within the illegal poker games run by New York crime enterprises, prosecutors said.
In turn, mafia members helped commit violent acts, such as assaults, extortion, and robberies, to ensure the payment of debts and the continued success of the operation, they said.
Billups was selected as the third pick in the 1997 draft by the Boston Celtics after excelling in college with the Colorado Buffaloes. He played 17 years in the NBA, with stints with the Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Clippers.
But perhaps he is more beloved in the Motor City, where he earned the nickname Mr. Big Shot for his ability to make clutch shots.
Billups was named Finals MVP during the Pistons’ title run in 2004 and his number 1 jersey was retired by the team.
After retiring in 2014, Billups embarked on a career as a television analyst before turning to coaching.
He was hired as Portland’s coach in 2021 and signed a multi-year extension with the Trail Blazers earlier this year after the team failed to reach the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season in 2024. Billups previously served as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers.
Following his arrest, he was placed on unpaid leave and the Trail Blazers named assistant coach and former NBA player Tiago Splitter as interim coach.
As part of his bail agreement, Billups can travel to certain states, but he had to surrender his passport.
The 31 defendants in the betting cases must reappear in court on March 4 for an update on the status of the case.
The U.S. District Judge Ramon Reyes said he expected to begin the trial in September 2026.
