NBA’s Terry Rozier, Chauncey Billups arrested in sports bet probe

According to US media reports on Thursday, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier have been detained in connection with investigations into illegal gambling.

According to a source with law enforcement, the 49-year-old Billups’ arrest was connected to an illegal poker game organized by the Mafia, according to ABC News.

According to the television network, Rozier was detained in a separate, separately related betting case.

At 10:00 am (14:00 GMT), FBI Director Kash Patel is scheduled to release an information regarding the arrests in New York.

Billups, a former NBA Hall of Famer and former star player for the Detroit Pistons, left in 2014.

Since 2021, he has been the Trail Blazers’ head coach.

Billups was on the bench for the team’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday in its first game of the season.

Later on Thursday, Billups made his first court appearance in Oregon, according to ABC.

Rozier, 31, was the Boston Celtics’ 2015 draft choice with the 16th overall pick.

In his 11 years playing for the NBA, he has averaged 13.9 points per game while playing for three teams.

Rozier missed the Heat’s opening game of the NBA season on Wednesday because of a hamstring injury.

Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors, a player in the NBA, was given a life-long ban last year for his involvement in a betting scandal.

Porter, the Brooklyn Nets’ younger brother, was charged with placing wagers on his performance.

He has admitted guilt to wire-fraud conspiracy and is awaiting sentencing.

According to league regulations, NBA players are prohibited from placing wagers on games. Those found to have cheated on NBA games face fines, suspensions, or life sentences.

Gilbert Arenas, a former NBA All-Star, was detained in July on suspicion of having illegal poker games at his mansion in the Los Angeles suburbs, three months after Billups’ arrest.

According to an indictment released in Los Angeles, Arenas, who played for the Washington Wizards, rented out the posh Encino home “for the purposes of hosting high-stakes illegal poker games” between September 2021 and July 2022.

Arenas is accused of making false statements to federal investigators and one count of conspiracy to run an illegal gambling business.