The NBA’s decision to grab the money and jump into bed with gambling has immediately resulted in heavy pockets for the league and owners, but predictably a few and disastrous for the NBA community.
FBI arrests NBA Coach Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones
Portland Trailblazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA player Damon Jones have been arrested by the FBI for alleged involvement in a betting ring with connections to major crime families. The arrests came as part of a sting that targeted over 30 individuals covering 11 states and involving “tens of millions of dollars, FBI director Kash Patel said.” According to NYPD, the confirmed profits from the alleged poker scheme as of now has reached as much as “$7 million ‘and counting.’
FBI Director Kash Patel Says 10s Of Millions Of Dollars Of Fraud Involved In Betting Ring Tied To Mafia
“This is an illegal gambling operation and sports rigging operation that spanned the course of years,” across 11 states, Patel said during a breaking press conference,”Not only did we crack into the fraud that these perpetrators committed on the grand stage on the NBA, but we also entered and executed a system of justice against La Costra Nostra. The fraud is minboggling, w’ere talking about 10s of millions of dollaers in fraud and theft.”
Authorities describe it as a “sprawling criminal enterprise.”
Organized Crime & NBA Players Connected To 2025 Gambling Rings
According to reports, three of New York’s five major crime families —the Bonanno, Genovese, and Colombo crime families—are allegedly connected to an illegal poker ring that held high-stakes, rigged games in locations including Manhattan, the Hamptons, and Las Vegas
What Is Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier’s Involvement In Poker Ring That Led To 31 Arrests?
The probe alleges that Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Rozier participated in this Mafia-affiliated poker ring. They are among 31 individuals arrested in connection with the operation. This comes at a terrible time for Billups, who is one day into a head coaching job that he has scraped and scrapped to get. The NBA champion, who led the 2004 Detroit Pistons to an incredible NBA Championship win over Kobe Bryant and Shaq’s Lakers, essentially ending that dynasty, is just one game into his first NBA season. Billups is one of the most respected players in the league and he’s being accused of participating in rigged poker games that involved X-ray glasses and other tools to cheat people out of their money. He is also accused of providing inside information secured from players.
Rozier’s arrest involves a March 2023 game that saw an uptick of Rozier bets come in on the under. Rozier, a member of the Charlotte Hornets at the time, left the game just nine minutes in citing a foot injury. The 11th-year role player has appeared in 665 NBA games and averaged 13.9 points per game over his career. The NBA already has Rozier on the radar, investigating him two years ago for possible prop betting infractions.
What Did Damon Jones Do?
Former NBA player and coach Damon Jones also allegedly received money for participating in the poker games. He provided inside information about NBA games to co-defendants.
Gilbert Arenas Charged In Gambling Operation
Just days after NBA player Marcus Morris was arrested for allegedly owing $265,000 to two prominent Las Vegas casinos after bouncing checks to pay those bills off, former NBA star and podcaster Gilbert Arenas and five other defendants, including a suspected high-level Israeli crime figure, were arrested today on a federal indictment alleging they operated an illegal gambling business in which high-stakes poker games were played at an Encino mansion Arenas owned, according to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California.
Fans Accuse Gilbert Arenas Of Snitching, Bringing Down Gambling Ring
Arenas was released on bail and laughed about the situation as he bounced out of court and down the steps. He then went on video and proclaimed that he’s not worrying about going to prison because he will “snitch” on anybody to remain free.
Social media has started circulating images of quotes that Arenas made directly alluding to this and some are already saying Arenas is the one who bust open this entire case, with guys being arrested just as the season kicks off.
“Y’all thought Gilbert Arenas was lying about snitching on the league,” said one fan, who posted receipts.
“Not Gilbert Arenas Snitching On Everyone. And This Is 2 Months Ago,” said another fan posting a screenshot of a Gilbert Arenas post from a couple months back where he allegedly confirms that he’s definitely going to snitch.
The situation is bad enough with prominent league figures being associated with organized crime families, illegal gambling rings and confirming how the NBA has sold its soul for the almighty dollar and brought the devil’s intoxicating vices to the doorsteps of the NBA family.
Adam Silver will hold a press conference and address all of these allegations and vow to be strict and stern on players and employees who involve themselves in “friendly” poker games that clearly aren’t being perceived as such. None of these players, coaches or former players are accused of betting on games or manipulating games like Jontay Porter or NBA referee Tim Donaghy.
NBA’s Previous Gambling-Related Investigations
Jontay Porter is the only active player to be banned for life by the NBA for gambling violations, receiving the lifetime ban in April 2024. He was found to have disclosed confidential information to bettors, limited his own playing time for betting purposes, and bet on NBA games.
Tim Donaghy Referee Scandal
During his thirteen-season career, Tim Donaghy officiated numerous games and after developing a gambling addiction that led him to provide insider information to gamblers, affecting the outcomes of NBA games he officiated, the FBI began investigating Donaghy for his activities in 2007, culminating in his resignation and subsequent guilty plea to
In July 2008, Donaghy was sentenced to fifteen months in federal prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to felony charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and transmitting wagering information. His actions tarnished his own reputation and cast a huge shadow of doubt about the legitimacy of NBA officiating, leading to increased scrutiny of referees and allegations of game-fixing in the playoffs, purposeful;;ly harsh treatment against certain players by fans. This is just the beginning and as usual, the players will take the fall for an institutional and systemic problem.
