Co-defendant denies Billups gave him info in NBA gambling case - ESPN

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Eric Earnest, a key co-conspirator in the inside information gambling case involving NBA player Terry Rozier, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in federal court Thursday, but his attorney said after the hearing that his client did not receive inside information from former NBA player and head coach Chauncey Billups.

Federal authorities alleged in the indictment that an unnamed co-conspirator told Earnest that the Portland Trail Blazers would be tanking and that certain Portland players would not play before a March 24, 2023, game against the Chicago Bulls. The co-conspirator was described in the indictment as an Oregon resident who was «an NBA player from approximately 1997 through 2014, and an NBA coach since at least 2021,» details that align with Billups' career.

During his plea hearing, Earnest, 54, told the court that he «agreed with another person to place an illegal bet on an NBA game with a sportsbook» around March 24, 2023.

Assistant U.S. attorney David Berman said the government would have proved the co-conspirator was an NBA head coach at the time of the wager and had given inside information to others who bet on an NBA game. Berman did not name the co-conspirator, who was not charged in the case.

But after the hearing, Earnest's attorney, Peter Brill, told reporters, «Our position is that Chauncey Billups did not at any time provide inside information to Mr. Earnest that he used to place any bets.»

Brill described the allegation that Billups had provided Earnest with the information as a «fundamental disagreement» with the government.

Billups' attorney, Marc Mukasey, told ESPN on Thursday afternoon he had no comment about Brill's statement. Billups was not charged in the