NBA legend and Portland head coach Chauncey Billups arrested in FBI gambling probe

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups is among more than 30 people charged in connection with schemes involving illegal sports betting and rigged poker games backed by a crime syndicate, authorities said on Thursday.

Another high-profile suspect, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, is accused of participating in an illegal sports betting scheme using private insider NBA information, officials said.

Billups is charged in a separate indictment alleging a wide-ranging scheme to rig underground poker games that were backed by organised crime families, authorities said.

The indictment of Rozier and others says there are nine unnamed co-conspirators, including a Florida resident who was an NBA player, an Oregon resident who was an NBA player from about 1997 to 2014, an NBA coach since at least 2021, and a relative of Rozier.

The NBA had no immediate comment. The league has investigated Rozier previously and still is looking into the actions of former Detroit player Malik Beasley, a source told AP.

Rozier was taken into custody in Orlando early on Thursday morning but Miami Heat did not immediately comment on the arrest.

A message was left with Rozier's lawyer, Jim Trusty, on Thursday. Trusty previously told ESPN that Rozier was told that an initial investigation determined he did nothing wrong after he met with NBA and FBI officials in 2023, the sports network reported.

A message seeking comment was left with Billups on Thursday morning.

FBI Director Kash Patel and other law enforcement officials were providing more information at a news conference Thursday.

The case was brought by the US attorney’s office in Brooklyn, which previously prosecuted ex-NBA player Jontay Porter.

The former Toronto Raptors centre pleaded guilty to charges that he withdrew early from games, claiming illness or injury, so that those in the know could win big by betting on him to underperform expectations.