NBA World Rocked By Arrests Tied to Illegal Gambling Ring

The NBA is in the spotlight today for all the wrong reasons.

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were arrested by the FBI early today. They are both being charged with participating in separate but related illegal gambling rings. The arrests are the result of an investigation conducted over the past four years.

Former player and assistant coach Damon Jones and four other co-conspirators were also arrested.

Allegations Against Billups Capture the Spotlight

While Terry Rozier is a well-known NBA player, Chauncey Billups is a living legend. He is a former NBA champion and a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. He built a fantastic reputation during his career, leading the Detroit Pistons to a title in 2004 before entering coaching. While generally viewed as one of the league’s more lovable legends, that reputation has changed drastically overnight.

Part of the allegations against Billups claim that he was giving inside information to associates. That includes sharing the status of players, including superstar Damian Lillard. That information was not available to sportsbooks, giving those bettors a massive advantage.

In addition to those violations, Billups was also connected to a mafia-run poker game. He is accused of using his fame to lure bettors into these games, where a complex cheating scheme ensured they lost big money. The illegal poker ring was connected to the Bonanno, Gambino, Lucchese, and Genovese crime families.

Rozier Accused of Spot Fixing

We have known that the NBA has been investigating Terry Rozier over gambling allegations for some time. The FBI found that the veteran guard had intentionally exited at least one game to ensure player prop bets involving him won. This type of cheating, known as spot fixing, consists of an athlete altering a single small part or moment of a game. 

These scandals can be far harder to prove, but the FBI linked Rozier to a man named Deniro Laster. They alleged that Rozier gave Laster the information to place the wagers. Once they won, Rozier paid to fly Laster to collect the winnings before he drove to the NBA stars’ house to split their profits.

Arrests Part of Larger Ring

One of the most intriguing details shared by the FBI was that the arrests are connected to the same ring behind the Jontay Porter scandal. The agency described the size and actions of the ring as “mind-boggling,” resulting in tens of millions of dollars in stolen money.

While the FBI is celebrating the take-down of this operation as a massive win, there is reason to believe that it goes far deeper. One reason for that is the investigation into Malik Beasley, who was not part of the recent round of arrests. The allegations against him seem damning, suggesting he is either part of a separate ring or that the one being investigated goes far deeper than we know.