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Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones were arrested Thursday morning as part of FBI investigations into alleged illegal gambling with ties to the La Cosa Nostra crime families.
Billups and Jones are alleged to have knowingly participated in rigged poker games, while Rozier and Jones allegedly leaked non-public information about NBA games for those close to them to place bets with a competitive advantage.
Each person has, or had, prominent roles in the NBA, but now their legacy is seemingly tarnished.
Here we delve into how Billups, Rozier and Jones got to where they are today.
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Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones were arrested Thursday for their alleged roles in illegal gambling schemes.
Chauncey Billups
Before returning to the sidelines as a coach, Billups was a standout player, most notably with the Detroit Pistons.
Billups, along with Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace and Rip Hamilton, coached by Larry Brown, won an NBA title in 2004, when Billups was named Finals MVP.
Before that, Billups was the third overall pick of the Boston Celtics in 1997 after starring in Colorado. He was in Boston for approximately half a season before being traded to the Toronto Raptors. He was then traded to the Denver Nuggets the following year and signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2000.
Billups signed with Detroit before the 2002-03 season and found his niche, becoming a defensive stalwart and being named to four of his five All-Star teams as a Piston. From 2011 until the end of his career, he made stops with the Nuggets, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers and then the Pistons one last time before ending his career. From 2003 to 2011, he averaged 17.3 points and 6.2 assists per game.
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups watches from the sideline during the first half against the San Antonio Spurs at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, on April 6, 2025. (Soobum Im/Image Images)
He was hired as an assistant coach for the Clippers in 2020 and then became head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers the following year. He agreed to a multi-year extension with the club in April.
Billups was allegedly dubbed one of the “figure cards,” who the indictment alleged were “members of the entrapment crews and received a portion of the criminal proceeds in exchange for their participation in the scheme.” The scheme resulted in victims losing at least $7.15 million, as of April 2019, according to the Department of Justice.
Billups was “used to lure victims to games due to their status as former professional athletes,” the Justice Department said.
Billups was one of five defendants who “arranged and participated in rigged poker games” in Las Vegas “using a rigged shuffling machine,” and the victims lost at least $50,000. One of the defendants sent a text message to another accomplice telling him that Billups should lose a hand on purpose to avoid suspicions of cheating.
During that game, a defendant said one of the victims had “acted like he wanted Chauncey to have his money” because Billups “star-struck” him, according to officials.
In October 2020, Billups allegedly received a $50,000 transfer following a rigged poker game.
Billups’ career earnings exceeded $100 million as a player, while Jones earned at least $20 million.
Detroit Pistons guard Chauncey Billups (1) shoots a free throw during the fourth quarter against the Washington Wizards at Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons won 113-102. (Tim Fuller/USA Today Sports)
Billups is not named in the sports betting scandal that led to Terry Rozier’s arrest. However, the Justice Department mentioned a matchup between the Trail Blazers and Chicago Bulls on March 24, 2023, the day after Rozier’s alleged wrongdoing, in which an accomplice, “an NBA coach at the time,” allegedly told an old friend, who is also a defendant in the rigged poker scheme, that the Blazers would “go down” that night for a better pick. draft and would seat some of the best players on the team. The rest of the players had not yet been public information. The team’s top four scorers, including Damian Lillard, did not play that night, as other conspirators allegedly bet more than $100,000 in total against Portland.
The “co-conspirator” in question is listed as a former NBA player whose career spanned from “approximately 1997 to 2014” and “an NBA coach since at least 2021.” Only Billups fits that criteria.
Terry Rozier
Rozier was the only active NBA player arrested Thursday, as he is accused of intentionally leaving a 2023 game early, citing an injury so co-conspirators could allegedly place bets on their “under” bets.
Before essentially becoming a tarnished player, Rozier starred at the University of Louisville for two seasons before becoming the 16th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
Rozier was drafted by the Boston Celtics, where he spent his first four seasons primarily coming off the bench. He was traded to the Charlotte Hornets after the 2018-19 season, where he found his footing and became an everyday starter.
Terry Rozier #3 of the Charlotte Hornets brings the ball up court against the Philadelphia 76ers during their game at the Spectrum Center on January 20, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
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As his minutes increased, he ended up averaging 18.0 points per game in his first season with Charlotte. The following season, he scored 20.4 points and scored a career-high 21.1 points in the 2022-23 season.
Because of his skill, Rozier signed a four-year, $97 million contract extension with the Hornets shortly before the 2021-22 season began. However, he was traded to the Miami Heat in exchange for Kyle Lowry and a first-round pick during the 2023-24 season.
It was initially reported in January that Rozier was being investigated for his involvement in a game on March 23, 2023.
Rozier allegedly told a childhood friend, Deniro Laster, that he was retiring from the game early, citing an injury so Laster could place bets based on the information. Neither Hornets management nor betting companies were informed of Rozier’s scheme, according to the indictment, and Rozier was not listed on the team’s injury report.
Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier (2) drives to the basket against Washington Wizards guard AJ Johnson (5) during the first quarter at Capital One Arena on May 31, 2025. (Reggie Hildred/Image Images)
Laster then allegedly sold that information to other co-conspirators, and numerous people placed bets totaling approximately $200,000 on Rozier’s “under” bets to hit both parlay bets and straight bets. After Rozier played only nine minutes and never returned, the bets won. Rozier and Laster counted the cash winnings at Rozier’s Charlotte home about a week later, the indictment says.
Damon Jones
Despite going undrafted out of Houston in 1997, Jones managed to play 11 seasons in the NBA. Jones, the definition of a journeyman, played for 10 teams in his career. However, throughout his time, he was teammates with prominent stars, including LeBron James during his three-year stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005 to 2008. He also spent one season with Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal with the Miami Heat.
He became a coach after his playing career, winning a title with James and the Cavs in 2016 as an assistant. Jones joined the Los Angeles Lakers, James’ current team, as an unofficial and unpaid member of the coaching staff for the 2022-23 season. Jones, however, is accused of irregularities during that season.
He allegedly told someone close to him that a “prominent” Lakers player would not play on Feb. 9, 2023, before the information became public.
“Make a big bet on [the] milwaukee [Bucks] tonight before the information comes out! [Player 3] comes out tonight. Bet enough so Djones can eat [sic] “Now!!!” Jones allegedly texted a friend.
The Justice Department says the player was ultimately ruled out with a lower-body injury: James did not play that night due to an ankle injury that kept him out for two more games, and ESPN reported that the player in question is, in fact, James. The game in question took place two days after James scored 38 points to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
LeBron James (23) talks with Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue (not pictured) and former teammate Damon Jones, center, during a free practice before the Golden State Warriors played the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, Tuesday, Ohio, June 2017. (Carlos Ávila González/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
Jones also allegedly gave apparent inside information on another “one of the Lakers’ best players” 11 months later regarding an injury that would likely affect his performance, which ultimately backfired as the player “performed well” and the Lakers won.
Billups, Rozier and Jones, the latter of whom is a defendant in both cases, were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The NBA announced that Billups and Rozier were immediately suspended from their teams, “and we will continue to cooperate with relevant authorities.”
“The integrity of our game remains our top priority,” the NBA said.
