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| Former NBA star and now Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups. Photo: Getty Images. |
The arrests, which also included former Cavaliers assistant coach Damon Jones, stem from a multi-year investigation spanning 11 states, an operation the FBI described as one of the most extensive crackdowns on sports-related gambling in U.S. history.
The mafia was allegedly paying Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups to be a “face” to attract high-rollers to rigged poker games with x-rayed tables.
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) October 23, 2025
Some players had contact lenses that could read through cards.
This is wild.pic.twitter.com/lN6oaxg2B7
Billups, a Basketball Hall of Famer and 2004 NBA Finals MVP, was taken into custody in Oregon just hours after the Trail Blazers’ season-opening loss to Minnesota. The 49-year-old, who has helmed Portland since 2021, now faces charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering. Rozier, meanwhile, was arrested at his Orlando hotel while sidelined by a hamstring injury.
Federal investigators allege the two were involved in a network of rigged poker games and suspicious sports wagers, some allegedly tied to organized crime. FBI officials revealed that cheating devices — including X-ray scanners and tampered shuffling machines — were used during underground poker events in New York.
Shaq on the arrest of Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones for sports gambling:
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) October 23, 2025
"I'm ashamed that those guys would put their families and their careers in jeopardy… if you're making $9 million… how much more do you need?"
pic.twitter.com/g8fwiFOEJK
Perhaps more alarming, Rozier is accused of tipping off associates before a March 2023 Hornets game, signaling he would exit early with an injury. Authorities claim over $200,000 in “under” bets were placed — bets that paid out when Rozier left after just 10 minutes of play.
The NBA wasted no time responding, placing both men on immediate administrative leave. “The integrity of our game is paramount,” the league said in a statement. “We are reviewing the indictments and will continue to cooperate with federal authorities.”
🚨 UPDATE: BREAKING: The @FBI’s “Operation Nothing But Net” and “Operation Royal Flush” just blew open a massive sports betting and poker cheating ring.
— Digital Gal 🌸 (@DigitalGal_X) October 23, 2025
— NBA names arrested: Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier, Damon Jones
— 30 people charged, including 13 linked to La Cosa Nostra
—… pic.twitter.com/je3X1JCdJ0
Rozier’s lawyer, Jim Trusty, fired back, slamming the arrests as “a publicity stunt” and insisting his client was cleared earlier this year in an NBA review. “Terry is not a gambler,” Trusty stated. “He looks forward to proving his innocence.”
Billups’ arrest, however, hit the league particularly hard. Revered for his leadership and discipline, “Mr. Big Shot” played 17 seasons in the NBA, winning a championship with Detroit in 2004 before transitioning to coaching.
What was once shaping up to be an exciting new NBA season has suddenly taken a darker turn — and as the legal battles unfold, questions about gambling, integrity, and trust in professional sports have once again taken center stage.