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Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from his alleged role in an illegal gambling case that also ensnared at least one other former player.
The basketball Hall of Famer was arraigned in federal court in New York City on charges of money laundering and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Billups was accused of being involved in a mob-backed scheme to rig illegal poker games in New York, Las Vegas, Miami and the Hamptons.
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Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups pleaded not guilty in federal court in Brooklyn, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Chris Heywood, Billups’ attorney, denied the charges against his client.
“To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal government accuses him of is to believe that he would risk his Hall of Fame legacy, his reputation and his freedom. He would not put those things at risk for anything, let alone a game of cards,” Heywood said on Oct. 23.
Marc Mukasey, another attorney for Billups, declined to comment to reporters after the not guilty plea was entered.
Billups, 49, was released on a $5 million bond secured by his family’s home in Colorado. He is banned from gambling and cannot have contact with other defendants or alleged victims. He surrendered his passport and can only travel to seven states, including Oregon and New York and Washington, DC
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups leaves federal court in Brooklyn, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
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Federal officials said Billups was used as a so-called “face card” to lure victims into the rigged games. Prosecutors said during one game, the scheme’s organizers sent messages to each other saying one of the victims was “acting like he wanted Chauncy to have his money” because he was “star struck.”
The poker-rigging scheme involved sophisticated technology such as modified card-shuffle machines, hidden cameras in chip trays, special sunglasses and X-ray equipment built into the card tables, prosecutors said.
Billups is accused of receiving a portion of the money the alleged mobsters made, according to officials.
Billups and his co-defendants, including former NBA player Damon Jones, also appeared for a status conference. They will be back in court on March 4.
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups listens during a news conference Friday, June 27, 2025, in Portland, Oregon. (Jenny Kane/AP)
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Jones and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier are the NBA figures charged with allegedly conspiring to allow players to exploit insider information about players to win NBA bets.
