Oct 22, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups talks with Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija (8) in a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images
New York – Chauncey Billups—NBA champion, Hall of Famer, and head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers—stood before a federal judge in New York on Monday and entered a firm not-guilty plea to charges tying him to Mafia-rigged poker games stretching across the country.
Billups, 49, is accused of profiting from high-stakes card games allegedly fixed with the help of three Mafia families and a web of hidden tech. Prosecutors say he served as a celebrity lure, drawing wealthy marks to underground tables in Manhattan, Las Vegas, Miami, and the Hamptons, where altered shuffling machines, camera-rigged chip trays, and even X-ray-enhanced tables allegedly tilted the odds.
The longtime NBA star faces counts of money-laundering conspiracy and wire-fraud conspiracy—each carrying a maximum of 20 years in prison. His attorney, Chris Heywood, insisted Billups is innocent, calling the accusations “impossible to believe” for a man whose Hall of Fame legacy and public reputation took decades to build. Billups, in a dark gray suit, spoke only to answer the judge’s questions. He remains free on bond.
Billups is the highest-profile name in a sprawling federal roundup that charged more than 30 people last month for illegal gambling operations intertwined with professional sports. Former NBA player and coach Damon Jones was also indicted, alongside Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier in a related insider-betting case.
The poker scheme prosecutors link to Billups allegedly defrauded victims of roughly $7 million starting in 2019. Federal filings say Billups personally received payouts, including a $50,000 wire transfer after a 2020 game. In messages recovered by investigators, organizers joked that one victim “acted like he wanted Chauncey to have his money,” dazzled by the retired star’s presence.
Prosecutors say the operation funneled profits to the Gambino, Genovese, and Bonanno crime families, who in turn enforced debts with violence—assault, extortion, even robbery—to keep the games running smoothly.
Billups’ legal troubles arrive as one of the most respected résumés in basketball history hangs in the balance. Drafted third overall in 1997, he became “Mr. Big Shot” in Detroit, winning Finals MVP in 2004 and earning a jersey retirement before retiring in 2014. He later worked in television and joined the coaching ranks, eventually landing Portland’s top job in 2021. The Blazers placed him on unpaid leave following his arrest, naming assistant Tiago Splitter interim coach.
The next phase of the case now moves through federal court in Brooklyn, where prosecutors and defense attorneys are preparing for a legal fight that could stretch months—or years—into the future, with Billups’ freedom and legacy on the line.
