Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier have been arrested as part of a sweeping federal investigation into illegal sports gambling, authorities confirmed on Thursday.
Rozier, 31, was taken into custody Thursday morning at a hotel in Orlando, Florida, after being sidelined during Miami’s road matchup against the Orlando Magic. According to ESPN, the veteran guard did not play in the game due to what was initially described as a “coach’s decision.”
Billups, 49, was arrested later that day in Portland, Oregon, over what law enforcement described as a “separate but related” illegal betting operation. The arrest came just hours after he coached the Blazers in their loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, New York, together with FBI Director Kash Patel, is expected to hold a press conference Thursday morning to announce details of the indictments linked to the investigation.
Rozier has reportedly been under federal scrutiny for several months due to suspicious betting activity connected to his on-court performances. Authorities are investigating whether he manipulated his performance in a March 23, 2023, game while playing for the Charlotte Hornets as part of an illegal gambling operation.
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During that game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Rozier played just nine minutes and scored five points before leaving due to what was then reported as a sore right foot. Prior to that match, he had been averaging more than 35 minutes and 21 points per game. The NBA had previously reviewed the incident after being alerted to unusual betting patterns but said in January that it found no violation of league rules.
Billups’ Connection Emerges
Billups, who is in his fifth season coaching the Trail Blazers, has not previously been linked to any federal gambling probe. A Hall of Famer inducted in 2024, he enjoyed a 17-year NBA career highlighted by five All-Star appearances and an NBA Finals MVP title in 2004 with the Detroit Pistons.
ABC News reported that Billups’ arrest stemmed from a betting scheme operating independently of Rozier’s alleged actions but potentially connected through shared intermediaries.
According to federal sources, Thursday’s arrests are part of a larger crackdown on illegal sports betting among professional athletes and team personnel. A joint investigation led by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York has been ongoing for more than a year.
Rozier and Billups are both expected to appear in federal courts in Florida and Oregon, respectively, later Thursday. Details of the specific charges are yet to be disclosed, but officials have described the developments as “significant” in the ongoing effort to uphold integrity in professional sports.
The NBA has not yet issued an official statement regarding the arrests but is expected to do so following the federal press briefing in Brooklyn.
