Breaking News illustration. (Isabella Hammond/CU Independent)
NBA Hall of Famer, current head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers and former player at the University of Colorado Boulder, Chauncey Billups, was arrested in Portland on Thursday morning in connection to an illegal gambling scheme.
Current Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA player Damon Jones were also arrested, as part of a multi-case illegal gambling indictment.
Billups was born in Denver, and played at CU Boulder from 1995 to 1997 before declaring for the NBA draft where he was chosen third overall. Billups was a first-team All-American in his sophomore year for the Buffaloes, and in the NBA led the Detroit Pistons to their 2004 NBA championship where he was named Finals MVP.
Billups retired from playing in 2014, and was inducted into the CU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015. In 2021, he became the head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers, and in 2024, was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Billups’ arrest comes two days into the NBA season, and the league issued the following statement:
“We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictments announced today. Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups are being placed on immediate leave from their teams, and we will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities.”
Billups is alleged to have been involved in rigged high-stakes poker games that also involved several mob-related families in New York. The investigation, dubbed “Operation Royal Flush” has been investigated for at least four years, according to The Athletic.
Billups and Jones, who has a history of gambling, are accused of being “Face Cards” to entice victims into the poker games, which were then rigged in favor of the cheating teams. Prosecutors allege that participants were defrauded of at least $7 million in the poker scheme.
Jones was also charged in another case that involved betting and supplying nonpublic information to bettors to allow them to set up fraudulent bets on NBA games. He, along with Rozier, are accused of telling co-conspirators when certain players would miss games. Rozier is alleged to have purposefully taken himself out of a game in 2023 to aid bettors.
Thirty-four other people have been arrested in connection to this investigation, which is made up of two indictments: one for the NBA betting scheme and the other for the poker scheme. Included among the defendants are members of Bonano, Gambino and Genovese crime families. The Lucchese family is also alleged to be involved, according to The Athletic.
“The fraud is mind-boggling,” said FBI director Kash Patel. “We’re talking tens of millions of dollars in theft and fraud and robbery.”
The fallout from these two indictments is likely to have serious implications for the NBA’s reputation. The NBA has seen an uptick in gambling issues, with recent notable incidents including the lifetime ban of former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter for illegally betting on NBA games.
Gambling scandals aren’t unique to professional sports either. Earlier this year, 13 NCAA college basketball players were investigated for being involved with gambling schemes. Under current law, NCAA players are not allowed to bet on sports, however on Nov. 1, NCAA athletes will be allowed to bet on professional sports.
Billups is expected to appear at a hearing in Portland on Thursday, with arraignment hearings for all three in New York later in the week.
This is a developing story. Live updates can be found on the New York Times website.
Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Lila Nuttle at lila.nuttle@colorado.edu.
