NBA Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups Pleads Not Guilty in Mafia-Linked Poker Rigging Scandal
Portland Trail Blazers head coach and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups pleaded not guilty on November 24, 2025, to federal charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, stemming from his alleged role in a multimillion-dollar illegal poker scheme backed by New York Mafia families. The 49-year-old Billups, a five-time All-Star and 2004 NBA Finals MVP with the Detroit Pistons, appeared in a packed U.S. District Court in Brooklyn alongside nearly 30 co-defendants, marking the first major court proceeding in the sprawling case unsealed last month.
Billups’ attorney, Marc Mukasey, entered the plea on his client’s behalf, stating, “We enter a plea of not guilty, Your Honor.” The coach, dressed in a gray suit and flanked by family and security, was released on a $5 million bond secured by a property he owns with his wife in Greenwood Village, Colorado. He is barred from all forms of gambling under the terms of his release and is due back in court for a status hearing on March 4, 2026, with a potential trial slated for September 2026.
The Alleged Scheme: Rigged Games and Celebrity Lures
Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York describe a sophisticated operation that ran from at least 2022 to 2025, netting over $7 million across at least 25 rigged Texas Hold’em poker games in locations including Manhattan, Las Vegas, the Hamptons, and Miami. The scheme allegedly involved members of the Gambino, Genovese, Bonanno, and Lucchese crime families, who enforced debts through assaults, extortion, and robberies.
Key elements of the fraud:
- High-Tech Cheating Tools: Organizers used modified shuffling machines that could read cards, hidden cameras, barcoded decks, X-ray-equipped poker tables, and even special contact lenses or glasses to allow players to see opponents’ hole cards.
- Celebrity “Face Cards”: Billups and former NBA player/assistant coach Damon Jones—indicted on similar charges—are accused of serving as “face cards,” leveraging their fame to attract wealthy “whales” (high-rollers) to the games, making them appear legitimate and exclusive. Victims, often unaware of the rigging, lost hundreds of thousands per session.
- Proceeds and Protection: A cut of the winnings was allegedly kicked back to Mafia families for “protection,” with evidence including electronic devices, surveillance footage, bank records, and phone taps.
Billups, who has coached the Blazers since 2021 after stints as an assistant with the Clippers and Nuggets, was arrested on October 23, 2025, as part of a broader FBI sweep that nabbed 31 defendants. He was placed on indefinite unpaid leave by the NBA the following day, with assistant coach Tiago Splitter named interim head coach. Jones, who pleaded not guilty earlier this month and was released on $200,000 bond, sat briefly behind Billups in court but avoided eye contact.
A separate but overlapping indictment accuses Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Jones of providing insider NBA information (e.g., injury reports) for illegal sports betting on games involving teams like the Lakers, Blazers, Hornets, Magic, and Raptors. Rozier, arrested the same day as Billups, faces arraignment on December 8 and has also denied wrongdoing. Billups is referenced as “Co-Conspirator 8” in that filing but not charged.
Defense Stance and NBA Fallout
Mukasey has vehemently denied the allegations, calling Billups a “man of integrity” whose Hall of Fame legacy (inducted in 2024) makes the charges implausible: “To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal government is accusing him of is to believe that he would risk his Hall of Fame legacy, his reputation and his freedom.” Earlier statements from Billups’ camp echoed this, vowing to “fight these false charges.”
The scandal has prompted swift NBA action. Commissioner Adam Silver expressed being “deeply disturbed” by the probe, and the league announced a comprehensive review of its gambling education and protections for personnel. A leaked memo highlighted the “dire risks” of sports betting to game integrity. Analysts speculate potential lifetime bans if convicted, drawing parallels to past scandals like the 1951 CCNY point-shaving case.
Reactions on X and Broader Echoes
Social media buzzed post-hearing, with X users dissecting the drama:
- USA TODAY Sports shared the plea news, sparking debates on NBA integrity (1.3K views).
- NewsNation’s Jessica Kartalija live-tweeted: “NBA Illegal Gambling Hearing: Chauncey Billups enters ‘Not Guilty’ plea. He is accused of wire fraud & money laundering in illegal poker scheme.” (230 views)
- Gambling911 posted a detailed recap, including trial dates, amid speculation on Mafia ties (146 views).
- Earlier posts tied the arrests to broader conspiracy theories, like one claiming FBI Director Kash Patel’s involvement in the bust (low engagement, but amplified in fringe circles).
Prosecutors anticipate some defendants may plead guilty, with early plea talks underway, but Billups’ team shows no signs of backing down. As the Blazers limp through a 4-10 start under Splitter, the case looms large over Billups’ future—and the NBA’s post-legalized-betting era.