Earlier today, current Portland Trailblazers head coach Chauncey Billups, who was a member of the Detroit Pistons for the team’s NBA Championship in 2004, was arrested by the FBI as part of a gambling investigation. Billups was arrested alongside the Miami Heat’s Terry Rozier, though the two are believed to be involved with separate yet related investigations. 

“Individuals such as Chauncey Billups, Damon Jones and Terry Rozier were taken into custody today, former, current NBA players and coaches,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a press briefing today. “What you don’t know is that this is an illegal gambling operations and sports rigging operations that spanned the course of years. The FBI led a coordinated takedown across 11 states to arrest over 30 individuals today responsible for this case, which is very much ongoing. Not only did we crack into the fraud that these perpetrators committed on the grand stage of the NBA, but we also entered and executed a system of justice against La Cosa Nostra.”

According to reports on Billups’ arrest, the former Piston is being investigated for ties to illegal poker games that are connected to the mafia, though these allegations have not been proven yet. So, Billups is not on the hook for rigging NBA games, but he is undoubtedly in hot water at the moment. 

In lieu of today's FBI announcement, the NBA confirmed that Billups and Rozier have been placed on immediate leave.

"We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictments announced today," the NBA wrote. "Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups are being placed on immediate leave from their teams, and we will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities. We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority."

In his fifth season as coach of the Blazers, Billups has posted a .356 record in Portland and led the club to a high watermark of 36 victories last season. However, Billups’ future as head coach of the franchise is certainly in jeopardy until further news on his arrest materializes. Billups is expected to miss an indefinite amount of time as the investigation plays itself out.

Back in 2024, Billups was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame for his illustrious playing career with the Pistons and his contributions to USA Basketball before retiring in 2014. In all, Billups spent eight seasons in Detroit and was a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team four times as a point guard in Motown. 

As of late, sports gambling, particularly within the NBA, has risen to the spotlight as more high-profile athletes and sports-adjacent individuals have received scrutiny for their gambling activity. For instance, the Pistons had a front row seat as Malik Beasley’s investigation, first with the FBI and now with the NBA, unfolded. Beasley is yet to land with another NBA squad as his investigation with the league continues to shake out. 

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