Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups. Soobum Im-Imagn Images

NBA opening week overshadowed by arrests connected to alleged illegal gambling

By Eric Smithling | Last updated Oct 24, 2025 9:19 AM ET

The 2025-26 NBA season just tipped off, and it's already being overshadowed by bombshell news regarding arrests made by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as part of alleged illegal gambling schemes.

On Thursday morning, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania revealed that Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups was one of several people arrested, although his case was separate from Miami Heat point guard Terry Rozier, who was also arrested as part of the illegal gambling investigation.

Per ESPN, "Billups' arrest...was made as part of a separate but related illegal gambling case linked to an illegal poker operation tied to the mafia."

Billups, selected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024, is in his fifth season as Trail Blazers head coach and has a 117-212 (.356) record. Portland lost its opener to the Minnesota Timberwolves (1-0), 118-114, on Wednesday.

Rozier sat the Heat's opening loss to the Orlando Magic via coach's decision.

Gambling arrests overshadow NBA opening week

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama's 40-point explosion in a win over the Dallas Mavericks, or Philadelphia 76ers rookie shooting guard VJ Edgecombe's exquisite 34-point debut in a win over the Boston Celtics should be dominating the headlines, but instead, the NBA's opening week has been wrecked by the stunning arrests.

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups has been charged in an illegal poker operation tied to the Mafia, law enforcement sources have told @ABC News.

Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was arrested in a separate but related betting case.

More: https://t.co/BpAbVBgVDI pic.twitter.com/ksAWmMdOv1
— ABC News (@ABC) October 23, 2025

While the full facts of the case have yet to be revealed, if the charges are true, the league will likely throw the book at the two. In April 2024, the NBA banned Jontay Porter for life for violating the league's rules on gambling.

In June of that year, federal prosecutors announced that Porter was facing federal felony charges. He plead guilty a month later. In ESPN's Thursday report, Charania and ESPN staff writer David Purdum noted that Rozier's arrest stemmed from the Porter investigation.

Charania also reported on social media that the Eastern District of New York and FBI director Kash Patel will provide information on the arrests at a 10 a.m. ET news conference. The NBA world will be tuning in while ignoring everything that happened on the hardwood the night before.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

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