The NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers head coach, Chauncey Billups, and Miami Heat player Terry Rozier were arrested Thursday morning in connection with federal investigations into gambling, according to a law enforcement official. Former NBA player Damon Jones was also taken into custody in Las Vegas as part of the probe, with the FBI announcing 34 suspects were detained across multiple states, some linked to organized crime families.
Billups, a former NBA player and five-time All-Star, was arrested in Portland, Oregon, where he faced charges related to an alleged illegal poker ring tied to mafia-linked operations in Manhattan, the Hamptons, and Las Vegas. Rozier, a 10-year NBA veteran, was detained in Orlando, Florida, following scrutiny over suspicious sports betting activity linked to his gameplay. Jones, another former NBA player, was apprehended in Las Vegas.
FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized the agency’s commitment to cracking down on criminal behavior, stating, “Under President Trump’s administration, there is no room for any type of criminal behavior, be it on the world’s largest stage or in the back rooms of tiny parlors where card games were being played.”
The arrests have reignited calls for Congress to establish uniform federal regulations for sports betting, as 39 states currently allow some form of wagering without overarching national oversight. NBA commissioner Adam Silver urged lawmakers to act, citing the need for stricter monitoring of promotion and advertising around sports betting.
