Chauncey Billups Pleads Not Guilty in Illegal Gambling Case
The Portland Trail Blazers coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of profiting from rigged poker games, which involved mob figures and another former NBA player.
The former player, known for his outstanding career in the NBA, was charged in a federal court in New York for conspiracy to launder money and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, crimes that carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Some of Billups’ co-defendants also face charges for running an illegal gambling business and participating in an extortion conspiracy.
Billups, during the brief arraignment on Monday, only answered the judge’s questions with a “yes” or “no”.
In a subsequent bail hearing, the judge released him on a $5 million bond. Billups used his Colorado residence as collateral, and his daughter Cydney, equipment and player services manager for the Minnesota Timberwolves, signed as guarantor of the bond.
Both he and his lawyer, Marc Mukasey, declined to comment as they left the courthouse.
Billups is the most prominent name among the more than 30 defendants in a wide-ranging federal operation against illegal gambling linked to professional sports. The other defendants are also expected to appear in Brooklyn court.
Prosecutors say Billups, 49, was involved in a scheme to fix illegal mob-backed poker games in Manhattan, Las Vegas, Miami, and the Hamptons.
Another former NBA player, Damon Jones, was also implicated in the scheme, which prosecutors say used sophisticated technology to rig the bets, including machines to shuffle altered cards, hidden cameras in poker chip trays, special sunglasses, and even X-ray equipment built into the table to read the cards.
Jones and Terry Rozier, point guard for the Miami Heat, were accused in a separate scheme that allowed bettors to exploit insider information about players to win bets on NBA games.
According to prosecutors, the poker scheme in which Billups was involved defrauded victims of approximately 7 million dollars since at least 2019.
They claim Billups acted as a “visible face” that attracted wealthy and unsuspecting players to the games. Prosecutors said that during a game, the organizers of the scheme exchanged messages saying that one of the victims “acted as if he wanted Chauncey to keep his money” because he was “amazed”.
Prosecutors claim that Billups, who earned approximately $106 million during his playing career, received a portion of the illicitly obtained profits. After a fixed game in October 2020, for example, they say he directly received $50,000.
The scheme’s organizers also had to share a portion of their profits with the Gambino, Genovese, and Bonanno mafia families for operating within the illegal poker games run by New York crime enterprises, prosecutors said.
The mafia members, in turn, helped commit violent acts, including assaults, extortion, and robbery, 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. He played 17 years in the NBA, with stints with the Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Clippers.
After his retirement in 2014, Billups began a career as a television analyst before turning to coaching.
He was hired as the Portland coach in 2021 and signed a multi-year extension with the Trail Blazers earlier this year after the team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season in 2024. Billups previously served as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers.
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.
