Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat player Terry Rozier were both arrested Thursday morning in connection with federal gambling investigations.
As first reported by ESPN's Shams Charania, Rozier was arrested Thursday at a hotel in the Orlando area. Billups, according to a separate report from ABC News, was arrested in Oregon. That report also states that Billups has been charged in connection with what the outlet describes as “an illegal poker operation tied to the Mafia,” citing police sources.
Per Shams, the separate illegal gambling cases are “related,” with federal and state officials slated to provide additional information at a press conference later Thursday morning. Shortly after reports pointed to the arrests of Billups and Rozier on Thursday, ABC News noted that Damon Jones, an ex-Cavaliers player turned assistant coach, had also been arrested. Further details on exact charges were not immediately available.
Suspicious betting activity was previously reported during a Hornets and Pelicans game in 2023 during which Rozier, a Hornets player at the time, left the court due to what was said at the time to have been a foot injury. This led to a federal probe, with the Associated Press reporting earlier this year that it was part of the same investigation that ultimately ensnared Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors.
Complex has reached out to NBA reps for comment.
Porter, as previously reported, was banned from the NBA last year after an investigation found that he had “violated league rules by disclosing confidential information to sports bettors,” per league officials. Porter was also said to have limited his participation in “one or more” games, as well as betted on them himself.
“There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition for our fans, our teams and everyone associated with our sport, which is why Jontay Porter’s blatant violations of our gaming rules are being met with the most severe punishment,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said at the time, adding that the league would “continue to work diligently to safeguard our league and game.”
Porter later pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the scandal, with sentencing set for this December.