To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal government is accusing him of is to believe that he would risk his hall-of-fame legacy, his reputation, and his freedom. He would not jeopardize those things for anything, let alone a card game.\u201d<\/p>\n
attorney chris heywood<\/p>\n
Actually, I take that back. If the government\u2019s claims are true \u2014 that Rozier, Jones and others with insider knowledge about teams and players bet on games<\/a> played by the Trail Blazers, Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors \u2014 then it wouldn\u2019t be an exaggeration to call this the worst scandal in NBA history. It would also be one of the worst gambling scandals in American sports in at least a generation.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re talking about tens of millions of dollars in fraud and theft and robbery,\u201d said FBI Director Kash Patel when he announced the charges Thursday morning.<\/p>\n Billups and Jones were allegedly part of a 31-person ring that included Mafia members and scammed people out of $7.15 million during elaborately rigged poker games<\/a>.<\/p>\n Billups\u2019 attorney, Chris Heywood, described his client as a \u201cman of integrity,<\/a>\u201d and said Billups will fight the charges and is not guilty of any wrongdoing. \u201cAnyone who knows Chauncey Billups knows he is a man of integrity; men of integrity do not cheat and defraud others,\u201d Heywood said. \u201cTo believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal government is accusing him of is to believe that he would risk his hall-of-fame legacy, his reputation, and his freedom. He would not jeopardize those things for anything, let alone a card game.\u201d<\/p>\n Rozier had previously been cleared by the NBA <\/a>after an investigation related to betting activity connected to games he played in, a fact that his attorney brought up after his arrest. \u201cTerry was cleared by the NBA, and these prosecutors revived that non-case,\u201d attorney Jim Trusty said in a statement. \u201cTerry is not a gambler, but he is not afraid of a fight, and he looks forward to winning this fight.\u201d <\/p>\n According to NBC News, it\u2019s unclear if Jones has an attorney, and calls made to a number believed to be his were not returned. Each of the three is entitled to a presumption of innocence before the law.<\/p>\n Their respective teams placed Billups and Rozier on leave Thursday and, the NBA said in a statement Thursday that it is cooperating with authorities. \u201cWe take these allegations with the utmost seriousness<\/a>, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority,\u201d the statement read. <\/p>\n Terry was cleared by the NBA, and these prosecutors revived that non-case. Terry is not a gambler, but he is not afraid of a fight, and he looks forward to winning this fight.<\/p>\n attorney jim trusty<\/p>\n The insider knowledge the government said Rozier, Jones and others improperly exploited included information about injuries, player absences and even which teams were trying to lose games to better their chances of picking early in the draft. <\/p>\n The scandal has ruined what appeared to be a great start to the 2025-26 season. The league began a promising season with a thrilling double-overtime game<\/a> that ended with a player missing a potentially game-winning shot at the buzzer. The owners have made peace with the league\u2019s players\u2019 union, and the league just started a lucrative new broadcast and streaming era marked by an 11-year, $76 billion deal<\/a> with Amazon, NBC and Disney \u2014 which owns ESPN \u2014 for the rights to carry its games. The league may have believed the worst problem it would have is finding time between its seemingly ubiquitous televised games to rake in and count its cash. NBC and MSNBC are both owned by Comcast.<\/p>\n Instead, this entire NBA season is likely to be played under the shadow of a federal investigation and possibly court dates and trials. There\u2019s no way that won\u2019t cast a pall over the season, and it will be difficult for some fans not to question the integrity of every game they watch. After all, the government says that in a March 23, 2023, game between the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans, Rozier \u2014 then a starter for the Hornets \u2014 let a childhood friend know he was going to \u201cprematurely remove himself from the game in the first quarter due to a supposed injury and not return to play further,\u201d and that friend, the government says, sold that info to others who placed bets that resulted in thousands of dollars in winnings.<\/p>\n Some of those bets, the government says, were placed through \u201cBetting Company 1 and Betting Company 2,\u201d which it says \u201chave been the co-official sports betting partners of the NBA.\u201d In 2021, the NBA announced sponsorship deals with online sportsbooks FanDuel and DraftKings, and the Department of Justice describes the betting platforms as victims.<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1761269398740_n_hayes_nbapablo_251023_1920x1080-w16xa6.jpg\")
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Head coach Chauncey Billups of the Portland Trail Blazers gives direction to his team during a game against the Phoenix Suns in Portland, Oregon, on Feb. 3, 2025.Soobum Im \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n