The National Basketball Association (NBA), North America’s top professional basketball league, has been rocked by two major criminal cases involving Miami Heat player Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, who were among dozens arrested in a sweeping FBI investigation.
Here’s what to know.
Rozier accused of an insider betting scheme
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York, Rozier, along with five others, was charged with wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy for allegedly using private team information to profit from illegal bets.
Prosecutors claim Rozier tipped off associates before a 2023 game that he would leave early due to injury, allowing them to place more than $US200,000 in bets predicting he would underperform. He exited after nine minutes, and those bets paid out tens of thousands of dollars.
Officials say the wider scheme involved players and coaches sharing confidential lineup and medical details to manipulate betting markets between 2022 and 2024.
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FBI Director Kash Patel called it “a criminal betting operation built around insider information,” while Rozier’s lawyer maintains his client “is not a gambler” and will fight the charges.
Billups named in mafia-linked poker ring
In a separate indictment, Blazers coach and Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups was among 31 people arrested for allegedly helping run a high-stakes poker ring tied to the Bonanno, Gambino, and Genovese mafia families.
Prosecutors say the group used wireless cheating technology, altered card shufflers, and even X-ray tables to read cards and defraud victims out of more than $US7 million.
NBA’s response
In a statement, the NBA said both Rozier and Billups have been placed on immediate leave while the league reviews the indictments. “We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority,” the statement read.
