Chauncey Billups’ Trial Delayed Until March 2027

Originally scheduled to begin in November 2026, the trial will now begin with jury selection on March 8, 2027. The expectation is that the trial, which will take place in a Brooklyn federal court, will last four weeks.

Billups was arrested last October, one game into the 2025/26 NBA regular season, in connection with a federal investigation into illegal gambling. Prosecutors have alleged that the Hall of Famer participated in rigged poker games that included electronic cheating devices and were operated by organized crime groups. Investigators said Billups was among the recognizable figures used to lure in victims who weren’t aware that everyone else involved in the games was in on the scam.

An unnamed individual meeting Billups’ description also allegedly told a sports bettor about the Blazers’ plans to go into tank mode in March 2023. However, that allegation is related to a separate gambling case and won’t be part of the March trial.

Billups has pleaded not guilty to charges of money laundering and wire fraud and was released on a $5MM bond last November. He’s one of 31 defendants in the case — at least a dozen have pleaded guilty, while others are said to be negotiating plea deals.

Billups’ lawyers made an effort earlier in the summer to avoid having the trial delayed, arguing that the case caused him to “lose his livelihood and become subject to an intense degree of public obloquy.” The start date was originally pushed back from Nov. 2 to Nov. 30 before being delayed again.