Kevin Love found himself in hot water on Friday, one day after having his say regarding the FBI investigation that resulted in Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups’ arrests.
Love, who now plays for the Utah Jazz, fired some shots at Rozier and Billups with a play on a popular internet meme. His decision seemed to backfire, however, with a host of notable voices — including a future Hall of Famer — taking exception to Love’s social media antics. The ire seems to have awoken a change of course in Love, who sang a new tune on Friday.
Here’s what you need to know.
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Kevin Love posts Chauncey Billups-Terry Rozier meme
Love mocked Rozier and Billups’ arrests on Instagram, posting an edited picture showing the Trail Blazers coach and Heat guard embracing one another in a hug. The meme references an incident that went viral earlier in the year involving Andy Byron, the former chief executive officer of New York-based tech company Astronomer, and Kristin Cabot, the company’s chief people officer.
I cannot believe Kevin Love posted this 😭😭
(h/t @LeagueAlerts) pic.twitter.com/yWANctIOrk
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) October 23, 2025
Damian Lillard comment
Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard blasted Love for his post, calling the meme “weak ass s—.” Lillard spent two years playing under Billups’ tutelage before being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. He returned to Rose City in 2025, although he is currently on the mend after tearing his Achilles during last year’s playoffs.
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Byron and Cabot were seen cuddling with one another in Gillette Stadium’s box seats during Coldplay’s July 16 concert in Foxborough, Mass. Band frontman Chris Martin pointed the two out when they flashed on the Jumbotron, at which point they each hid their faces from the camera’s view.
“Either they’re having an affair or they’re very shy,” Martin quipped.
Within days, Byron had resigned from his position. Cabot left the company shortly thereafter. Both were married at the time of the incident, although People Magazine reported that Cabot was separated from her husband. She filed for divorce on Aug. 13, requesting that information regarding the proceedings remain private.
A source close to Cabot told People that she and Byron did not have an affair but rather “an excellent working relationship, a great friendship.” In Sept., The Daily Mail published photos of Byron and his wife spending time with one another on a beach in Maine.
Despite the reports, the image of Byron and Cabot embracing one refuses to go away on the internet.
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Why did Kevin Love apologize for Chauncey Billups-Terry Rozier meme?
Love took to Instagram stories to explain his decision to delete the image of Billups and Rozier. The Jazz forward told his followers that he had a lengthy conversation with Lillard. After speaking with Lillard, Love had a change of heart.
Kevin Love deletes the post after speaking with Dame Lillard https://t.co/RqTN9uE4H7 pic.twitter.com/NDmvoooDwp
— Heat Diehards (@HeatDiehards) October 24, 2025
“Spoke to Dame and he opened my eyes to this being a real-life situation for two of my former teammates and brothers,” Love wrote. “I took a particular post down because we all know they are going through it. As are their collective families.”
Love played with Rozier from 2023-25.
Chauncey Billups gambling scandal
Billups was arrested on Thursday, October 23, for his involvement in illegal sports gambling.
Billups is accused of disclosing confidential injury information in a game he coached, and he has been linked to an “illegal poker operation tied to the Mafia,” per ABC News.
More details were released later in the morning on Thursday, October 23, in a press conference led by FBI Director Kash Patel, where U.S. attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. detailed ways in which Billups and others allegedly swindled poker players out of significant amounts of money.
The poker scheme included X-ray tables to scan playing cards, custom glasses with the ability to read cards, and rigged card-shuffling machines, according to Nocella. Victims were allegedly lured by celebrities like Billups into participating.
Billups was spotted leaving an Oregon courthouse on Thursday night. The NBA placed Billups on administrative leave pending the results of the investigation. The Trail Blazers named former NBA champion Tiago Splitter their interim head coach in Billups’ absence.
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Terry Rozier gambling scandal
Rozier was arrested on the morning of Thursday, October 23, as part of the FBI’s probe into a gambling investigation.
The investigation began in early 2025, after suspicious betting activity and a suspicious injury raised some flags for investigators. In a game where Rozier only played 10 minutes due to a foot injury, investigators noticed that bettors had really leaned in to betting the under in his statistical categories.
The investigation itself was not just limited to Rozier. Instead, it was connected to a “sprawling ring of gamblers” who have been accused of rigging games across the sports landscape.”
The NBA said that it investigated Rozier and had cleared him, but that a federal investigation was still ongoing. ESPN’s Charania said that he the guard had “been cleared” and “there’s nothing really active as of right now with him” during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, but that looks to have been related only to the NBA and not the continued federal investigation.
FBI Director Kash Patel said that the gambling probe spanned over 11 states. Patel said that tens of millions of dollars are involved in fraud, theft and robbery over the multi-year investigation. Former player and assistant coach Damon Jones, is also indicted in the same case as Rozier. While he and Billups were arrested the same morning, they are not involved in the same cases.
Rozier isn’t believed to have gambled himself. His insertion in the case seems to stem from reportedly faking an injury during a March 2023 contest. He is also accused of providing roster information for gamblers.
Rozier’s lawyers reaffirmed his innocence in a statement to Front Office Sports.
“Terry was cleared by the NBA and these prosecutors revived that non-case,” Rozier’s lawyers wrote. “Terry is not a gambler, but he is not afraid of a fight.”
