Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups was arrested in Oregon on October 23, 2025, following the team’s season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The arrest is part of a federal probe into illegal gambling operations linked to underground poker games reportedly controlled by Mafia families, according to online reports from The Sporting News, and The Associated Press.

The FBI stated that the nationwide poker rigging scheme used advanced cheating technology to defraud players in New York-area underground games and involved over 30 defendants, including former professional athletes.

Billups, a Colorado native who played college basketball at the University of Colorado, later played for the Denver Nuggets and is a 2024 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, is among those charged.

He is also named in a related sports betting investigation involving insider information and game manipulation. Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier faces charges in that case as well.

Authorities say investigations are ongoing, with more details and possible charges expected as the case develops. Billups has not been accused of tampering with games he coached.

The NBA has placed both individuals on immediate leave and is cooperating with federal authorities.