Report: Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups arrested for alleged illegal gambling

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups has reportedly been arrested. Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, the FBI arrested Billups over alleged illegal gambling.

This report came shortly after a different report that Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier had been arrested in a sports gambling probe. Rozier had not been with the team for last night’s game against the Orlando Magic. In particular, for alleged issues related to prop bets dating back to 2023.

In the case of Billups, little initial information was immediately clear. Charania initially reported both arrests. However, while he noted that Billups’ arrest was over illegal gambling, he did not specify sports gambling. He also did not note any particular incidents that he was tied to.

ABC News later reported that Chauncey Billups was arrested due to an illegal poker operation that was tied to the mafia. Exactly what those ties were, however, remains unclear. FBI Director Kash Patel is expected to announce charges later in the day on Thursday.

On ESPN’s morning show Get Up, host Mike Greenberg also shared the report. He also noted that the FBI probe into Terry Rozier was the same one that led Jontay Porter to being banned from the league. However, he had no further information on Chauncey Billups. Initial reports on Porter came out on March 25, 2024. By April 17th, the NBA banned him for life. On top of that, he would plead guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Billups played his college basketball at Colorado before becoming a first round pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, starting his career with the Boston Celtics. He’d have a career that lasted through the 2014 season, playing for seven different teams. In 2004, he would win an NBA Championship and be named the Finals MVP. A five-time all-star, Billups was particularly known as an elite defensive player.

In 2020, Billups began his coaching career as an assistant for the Los Angeles Clippers. Then, in 2021, he became the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers.

In his four seasons as the head coach at Portland, Chauncey Billups has a 117-211 record, and he has not yet made the playoffs. However, he is coming off his best season by record, going 36-46 a season ago.

The 2025-26 NBA season began on October 21st. So far, Portland has had just one game, losing to Minnesota by four points. The Trail Blazers will be back in action on Friday, October 24th. At this point, it’s unclear how the team plans to handle this situation at head coach moving forward. More information will likely emerge in the coming days.