NBA information: Who’re Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier, and Damon Jones?

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Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier, and Damon Jones had been arrested Thursday morning as a part of FBI probes into alleged unlawful playing with ties to the La Cosa Nostra crime households.

Billups and Jones are alleged to have knowingly participated in rigged poker video games, whereas Rozier and Jones allegedly leaked private details about NBA video games to ensure that these near them to position wagers with a aggressive benefit.

Every particular person has, or had, distinguished roles within the NBA, however now, their legacies are seemingly tarnished.

Listed below are deep dives into how Billups, Rozier, and Jones obtained to the place they're as we speak.

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<source media="(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/931/523/chauncey-billups-terry-rozier-damon-jones-102425-2.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/1862/1046/chauncey-billups-terry-rozier-damon-jones-102425-2.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="523" width="931"> Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier, and Damon Jones had been arrested Thursday for his or her alleged roles in unlawful playing schemes.

Chauncey Billups Earlier than getting again on the sidelines as a coach, Billups was a distinguished participant, most notably with the Detroit Pistons .

Billups, together with Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace and Rip Hamilton, coached by Larry Brown, gained an NBA title in 2004, when Billups was named the Finals MVP.

Earlier than that, Billups was the third general choose by the Boston Celtics in 1997 after starring at Colorado. He was in Boston for roughly half a season earlier than being traded to the Toronto Raptors. He was then traded to the Denver Nuggets the next yr and signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2000.

Billups signed with Detroit forward of the 2002-03 season and located his area of interest, changing into a defensive stalwart and being named to 4 of his 5 All-Star groups as a Piston. From 2011 by means of the tip of his profession, he made stops with the Nuggets once more, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers after which the Pistons a last time earlier than calling it a profession. From 2003 by means of 2011, he averaged 17.3 factors and 6.2 assists per recreation.

Portland Path Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups watches from the sideline through the first half towards the San Antonio Spurs at Moda Middle in Portland, Oregon, on April 6, 2025. (Soobum Im/Imagn Photographs)

He was employed as an assistant coach for the Clippers in 2020, then turned the Portland Trail Blazers head coach the next yr. He agreed to a multiyear extension with the membership in April.

Billups was allegedly dubbed one of many "face playing cards," which the indictment said had been "members of the Dishonest Groups and acquired a portion of the felony proceeds in change for his or her participation within the scheme." The scheme resulted in victims dropping at the least $7.15 million, relationship again to April 2019, in accordance with the Division of Justice.

Billups was "utilized to draw victims to the video games due to their standing as former skilled athletes," the DOJ stated.

Billups was certainly one of 5 defendants who "organized and took part in rigged poker video games" in Las Vegas "utilizing a rigged shuffling machine," with victims dropping at the least $50,000. One of many defendants texted one other co-conspirator that Billups ought to purposefully lose a hand to keep away from dishonest suspicions.

Throughout that recreation, a defendant stated one of many victims had "acted like he needed Chauncey to have his cash" as a result of he was "star struck" by Billups, in accordance with officers.

In October 2020, Billups was allegedly wired $50,000 following a rigged poker recreation.

Billups' profession earnings exceeded $100 million as a participant, whereas Jones made at the least $20 million.

Detroit Pistons level guard Chauncey Billups (1) shoots a free throw through the fourth quarter towards the Washington Wizards at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Pistons gained 113-102. (Tim Fuller/USA At the moment Sports activities)

Billups will not be listed within the sports activities betting scandal that led to the arrest of Terry Rozier. Nonetheless, the DOJ talked about a Path Blazers–Chicago Bulls matchup on March 24, 2023, the day after Rozier's alleged wrongdoings, by which a co-conspirator, "an NBA coach on the time," allegedly instructed a longtime buddy, who can also be a defendant within the rigged poker scheme, that the Blazers could be "tanking" that evening for a greater draft choose and would sit a few of the staff's greatest gamers. The resting of the gamers had not but been public info. The staff's high 4 scorers, together with Damian Lillard, all didn't play that evening, as different co-conspirators allegedly wagered greater than $100,000 complete towards Portland.

The "co-conspirator" in query is listed as a former NBA participant whose profession spanned from "roughly 1997 by means of 2014" and "an NBA coach since at the least 2021." Solely Billups matches that criterion.

Terry Rozier Rozier was the one energetic NBA participant arrested Thursday, as he's accused of purposely exiting a 2023 game early , citing an damage so co-conspirators might allegedly place wagers on his "beneath" prop bets.

Earlier than primarily changing into a tarnished participant, Rozier starred on the College of Louisville for 2 seasons earlier than changing into the sixteenth general choose within the 2015 NBA Draft.

Rozier was drafted by the Boston Celtics, the place he spent his first 4 seasons principally coming off the bench. He was traded to the Charlotte Hornets after the 2018-19 season, the place he discovered his footing and have become an on a regular basis starter.

Terry Rozier #3 of the Charlotte Hornets brings the ball up courtroom towards the Philadelphia 76ers throughout their recreation at Spectrum Middle on Jan. 20, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Photographs)

7 NBA GAMES DOJ SAYS WERE AFFECTED BY HIGH-STAKES WAGERS AFTER INSIDE INFORMATION WAS LEAKED TO GAMBLERS

As his minutes elevated, he wound up averaging 18.0 factors per recreation in his first season with Charlotte. The subsequent season, he put up 20.4 factors and notched a career-high 21.1 factors within the 2022-23 season.

Resulting from his prowess, Rozier inked a four-year, $97 million contract extension with the Hornets shortly earlier than the 2021-22 season began. Nonetheless, he was traded to the Miami Warmth in change for Kyle Lowry and a first-round choose through the 2023-24 season.

It was initially reported in January that Rozier was being investigated for involvement in a recreation on March 23, 2023.

Rozier is alleged to have instructed a childhood buddy, Deniro Laster, that he would take himself out of a recreation early, citing an damage so Laster might place wagers based mostly on the knowledge. Neither Hornets officers nor betting corporations had been made conscious of Rozier's plan, in accordance with the indictment, and Rozier was not listed on the staff's damage report.

Miami Warmth guard Terry Rozier (2) drives to the basket towards Washington Wizards guard AJ Johnson (5) through the first quarter at Capital One Area on Could 31, 2025. (Reggie Hildred/Imagn Photographs)

Laster then allegedly offered that info to different co-conspirators, and quite a few folks positioned wagers totaling roughly $200,000 on Rozier's "beneath" prop bets to hit in each parlay and straight wagers. After Rozier performed simply 9 minutes and by no means returned, the bets gained. Rozier and Laster counted money winnings at Rozier's dwelling in Charlotte roughly every week later, the indictment says.

Damon Jones Regardless of being undrafted out of Houston in 1997, Jones nonetheless managed to play 11 seasons within the NBA. The definition of a journeyman, Jones performed for 10 groups in his profession. Nonetheless, all through his time, he was teammates with distinguished stars, together with LeBron James throughout his three-year stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005 to 2008. He additionally spent a season with Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal with the Miami Warmth.

He turned a coach following his enjoying profession, profitable a title with James and the Cavs in 2016 as an assistant. Jones joined the Los Angeles Lakers, James' present staff, as an unofficial, unpaid member of the teaching workers for the 2022-23 season. Jones, although, is accused of wrongdoing throughout that season.

He's alleged to have instructed somebody near him {that a} "distinguished" participant on the Lakers wouldn't play on Feb. 9, 2023, earlier than the knowledge was public.

"Get a giant wager on [the] Milwaukee [Bucks] tonight earlier than the knowledge is out! [Player 3] is out tonight. Wager sufficient so Djones can eat to [sic] now!!!," Jones allegedly texted a buddy.

The DOJ says the participant was finally dominated out with a lower-body damage — James didn't play that evening attributable to an ankle damage that stored him out for 2 extra video games, and ESPN has reported that the participant in query is in actual fact James. The sport in query came about two days after James scored 38 factors to grow to be the NBA's all-time main scorer.

LeBron James (23) talks with Cavaliers Head Coach Tyronn Lue (not pictured) and former teammate Damon Jones, heart, throughout an off-day apply earlier than the Golden State Warriors performed the Cleveland Cavaliers in Sport 3 of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Area in Cleveland, Ohio, on Tuesday, June 6, 2017. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle by way of Getty Photographs)

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Jones additionally allegedly gave obvious inside details about one other "one of many Lakers' greatest gamers" 11 months later concerning an damage that was more likely to have an effect on his efficiency, which in the end backfired because the participant "carried out nicely" and the Lakers gained.

Billups, Rozier, and Jones, the latter of whom is a defendant in each instances, had been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit cash laundering. The NBA introduced that Billups and Rozier had been positioned on instant go away from their groups, "and we'll proceed to cooperate with the related authorities."