FBI Director Kash Patel, speaks during a press conference related to arrests of NBA players and coaches for illegal gambling schemes, at the US Attorney's Office in Brooklyn, New York, October 23, 2025. © REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
(Brooklyn, NY) – Word broke early on Thursday that active NBA player Terry Rozier and current head coach Chauncey Billups had been arrested in connection to a gambling ring. Hours later, at a press conference in Brooklyn, FBI Director Kash Patel detailed the charges.
Alongside federal prosecutors and even NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, details fitting of a future blockbuster movie were laid out. The alleged scheme involved poker games, as well as NBA games — in separate plots that are also somehow connected — potentially because of the Italian-American mob’s involvement.
Rozier was arrested in Orlando, after being on the active roster for the Miami Heat during their opening night contest. He was on the bench for the game against the Magic but did not participate in the game. In Oregon, Billups was arrested, after coaching the Trail Blazers the night before. Former NBA player and coach Damon Jones has also been arrested for his alleged role in the situation.
For Billups, the alleged criminal activity does not involve NBA games, but rather his status within the league is a potential factor. An NBA champion in 2004 as a member of the Detroit Pistons, Billups was also inducted into the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame last year. It seems prosecutors think he was used of a sort of “decoy” or “draw” at two regularly scheduled illegal poker games — held in Manhattan. Prosecutors alleged that Billups was part of a team that would fix these games, by providing people in on the caper with knowledge of what cards were coming next. Electronic shufflers, marked cards, and text messaging was used in a bid to manipulate the games.
The claim is that victims were unwittingly tricked into betting money on games they otherwise thought were “on the up and up.” Various members of the mafia are alleged to be involved.
FBI Director Patel says one of the sport’s biggest legends is indirectly linked to the situation. It’s alleged that Jones — a friend of Lebron James who played with him in Cleveland and later became a Cavaliers assistant coach — traded insider information for cash. Prosecutors say Jones told bettors to place big bets on games in which Lebron was going to be ruled out with injury — although that was not yet public knowledge. That gives bettors an edge in terms of how lines or gambling odds will move, once injuries are known.
The indictment indicates Jones leaked information about the injury status of James to sports bettors before a 2023 game — while working for the Lakers. He was considered an “unofficial assistant coach” at the time.
More than 30 people in 11 states are facing charges in connection with the cases. The NBA said Rozier and Billups have been placed on leave from their teams and the league is reviewing the indictments.
