Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups has been arrested in connection with a federal investigation into illegal gambling, per NBC’s Tom Winter.
While we don’t know many details yet about Billups’ involvement, the announcement did come the same morning that Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was arrested for a federal investigation into gambling.
Here is what we know about Billups’ arrest, tied to a federal gambling investigation.
MORE: What to know about Terry Rozier’s arrest tied to a federal gambling investigation
Chauncey Billups arrest details
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.
Nocella also noted that all investigations are still ongoing.
The Trail Blazers released a statement Thursday confirming they are aware of Billups’ arrest and naming Tiago Splitter their interim head coach after Billups was placed on leave by the NBA.
— Trail Blazers PR (@TrailBlazersPR) October 23, 2025
Billups was spotted leaving an Oregon courthouse around 7 p.m. ET, or 4 p.m. local time.
Chauncey Billups leaving the courthouse in Portland, Oregon 👀
He was arrested early Thursday morning as part of a federal investigation into illegal gambling activities. pic.twitter.com/OGjRNmeHyG
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) October 23, 2025
Later that evening, Billups’ attorney, Chris Heywood, issued the following statement to ESPN:
Anyone who knows Chauncey Billups knows he is a man of integrity; men of integrity do not cheat and defraud others.
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.
Furthermore, Chauncey Billups has never and would nevr gamble on basketball games, provide insider information, or sacrifice the trust of his team and the League, as it would tarnish the game he has devoted his entire life to.
Chauncey Billups has never backed down. He does not plan to do so now. He will fight these allegations with the same tenacity that marked his 28-year career. We look forward to our day in court.
Chauncey Billups gambling investigation
Billups’ charges are related to disclosing injury information for a Trail Blazers game and an alleged role in running an illegal poker operation, which is said to have been rigged to swindle victims out of significant amounts of money.
The investigation remains ongoing, though Billups has been indicted.
Billups was placed on immediate leave by the NBA on Oct. 23, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported, taking him off the Trail Blazers’ sideline indefinitely.
Did Chauncey Billups gamble on games?
Billups is not accused of gambling on any NBA games. He is, however, confirmed to be an unnamed co-conspirator, who was described as an Oregon resident in 2021, who played in the NBA from 1997 to 2014.
He is alleged to have disclosed information that swayed the gambling market.
Those allegations claim that Co-Conspirator 8 (Billups) told a defendant that the Trail Blazers would be tanking a game played on March 24, 2023, by resting key players. Billups provided injury information that had not yet been disclosed, Portland sat its four highest per-game scorers, and lost the game by 28 points.
His other charges are tied to an alleged illegal poker operation with the Mafia.
Chauncey Billups career earnings
Here is more on how much Billups made in his career.
| Year | Team(s) | Cash Total | Cash Cumulative |
| 1997 | Celtics | $2,384,640 | $2,384,640 |
| 1998 | Mavericks | $2,742,000 | $5,126,640 |
| 1999 | Magic | $3,100,080 | $8,226,720 |
| 2000 | Timberwolves | $2,250,000 | $10,476,720 |
| 2001 | Timberwolves | $2,475,000 | $12,951,720 |
| 2002 | Pistons | $4,546,000 | $17,497,720 |
| 2003 | Pistons | $5,000,060 | $22,497,780 |
| 2004 | Pistons | $5,455,200 | $27,952,980 |
| 2005 | Pistons | $5,909,800 | $33,862,780 |
| 2006 | Pistons | $6,364,400 | $40,227,180 |
| 2007 | Pistons | $10,000,000 | $50,227,180 |
| 2008 | Nuggets | $11,050,000 | $61,277,180 |
| 2009 | Nuggets | $12,100,000 | $73,377,180 |
| 2010 | Knicks | $13,150,000 | $86,527,180 |
| 2011 | Clippers, Knicks | Clippers: $1,609,756 Knicks: $12,200,000 |
$100,336,936 |
| 2012 | Clippers | $4,000,000 | $104,336,936 |
| 2013 | Pistons | $2,500,000 | $106,836,936 |
| Total | 8 teams | $106,836,936 | $106,836,936 |
Chauncey Billups coaching contract
Billups, 49, was hired ahead of the 2021-2022 season to be Portland’s head coach. His initial deal was a five-year deal worth $10 million. Billups was signed to an extension, though the exact terms were not made public. Reports suggest that Portland picked up a fifth-year option on his original deal, and then gave him two additional years through the 2027-2028 season. The report also said that the added two years were guaranteed, and that Billups received a pay raise, though it was unknown how much.
Trail Blazers upcoming schedule
Here’s a look at the Trail Blazers’ next 10 games.
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | TV |
| Friday, Oct. 24 | vs. Warriors | 10 p.m. | N/A |
| Sunday, Oct. 26 | at Clippers | 9 p.m. | N/A |
| Monday, Oct. 27 | at Lakers | 10:30 p.m. | N/A |
| Wednesday, Oct. 29 | at Jazz | 9 p.m. | N/A |
| Friday, Oct. 31 | vs. Nuggets | 10 p.m. | N/A |
| Monday, Nov. 3 | vs. Lakers | 10 p.m. | NBA TV |
| Wednesday, Nov. 5 | vs. Thunder | 10 p.m. | N/A |
| Saturday, Nov. 8 | at Heat | 8 p.m. | N/A |
| Monday, Nov. 10 | at Magic | 7 p.m. | N/A |
| Wednesday, Nov. 12 | at Pelicans | 8 p.m. | N/A |
One aspect of the investigation and Billups’ arrest is who will be the head coach. We don’t know yet if Billups will be permitted to coach the Trail Blazers in their next game, which at the time of this writing is on Friday, October 24 against the Warriors.
Assistant coaches for Portland that could fill in as an interim coach include Nate Bjorkgren, Tiago Splitter, Patrick St. Andrews, Quinton Crawford, Ronnie Burrell, James Posey and Jacob Mooallem,
This article will be updated.
