NBA's Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier among dozens arrested in illegal gambling probe

NEW YORK -Chauncey Billups, an NBA Hall of Fame player and head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, and Terry Rozier, a guard with the Miami Heat, are among more than 30 people arrested in connection with separate but related federal investigations into illegal gambling, U.S. authorities announced on Thursday.

Rozier was one of several National Basketball Association insiders who provided nonpublic information to their criminal partners, who in turn used straw bettors to place multiple bets based on the tips, Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella told a press conference.

The scheme lasted from 2022 to 2024 and involved millions of dollars in illicit profits, authorities said.

Billups was charged in a separate indictment with helping to rig poker games to defraud unknowing players who were lured to the games with the promise of playing against celebrities, officials said. That scheme also involved several organized crime families in New York, according to prosecutors.

While the arrests stemmed from two separate indictments, a handful of defendants were charged in both cases, Nocella said, including former Cleveland Cavaliers player and assistant coach Damon Jones.

Representatives of the Miami Heat, the Portland Trailblazers and the NBA did not immediately answer requests for comment, nor did Rozier's lawyer James Trusty.

Several players in the "Big Four" North American men's leagues - the NBA, National Football League, Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League - have faced punishment for gambling in recent years, as sports betting has become legal in more U.S. states and been made increasingly accessible.

Former NBA player Jontay Porter pleaded guilty in 2024 to related charges after he was accused of manipulating