Portland Trail Blazers coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups pleaded not guilty Monday to allegations that he profited from fraudulent poker games involving several Mafia figures and at least one other former NBA player.
Billups, who won a championship with the Detroit Pistons as a player, was arraigned in federal court in New York on charges of money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud, which carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Some of Billups' co-defendants are also charged with operating an illegal gambling business and participating in an extortion conspiracy.
Billups' lawyer Chris Haywood said his client is an “honest man” and denies the allegations.
“To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal government accuses him of doing is to believe that he would risk his Hall of Fame legacy, his reputation and his freedom. He would not jeopardize those things for anything, let alone a card game,” Haywood said after Billups appeared in federal court in Portland, Oregon, when prosecutors first announced the indictment on Oct. 23.
Billups wore a dark gray suit during his brief arraignment Monday and spoke only to answer yes or no questions from the judge. He has been free on bail since his first court appearance in Oregon.
Billups was perhaps the most famous name. among more than 30 accused in a sweeping federal crackdown last month on illegal gambling linked to professional sports. Other defendants were also expected to appear in Brooklyn court for a hearing on Monday, where the judge, prosecutors and defense attorneys are likely to discuss next steps in the case.
Prosecutors allege the 49-year-old Denver native, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame last year, was involved in a scheme to rig mob-backed illegal poker games in Manhattan, Las Vegas, Miami and the Hamptons.
Former NBA Player and assistant coach Damon Jones was also arrested in the alleged scheme, which prosecutors said used a range of sophisticated technology to rig gambling, such as modified card shuffling machines, hidden cameras in poker chip trays, special sunglasses and even X-ray equipment built into the card-reading table.
Jones was also charged along with Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier At the same time, in a separate scheme that allowed gamblers to use inside information about players to win bets on NBA games.
Prosecutors say Billups' poker scheme involved defrauding victims out of about $7 million dating back to at least 2019. They say it served as a celebrity “calling card” that could attract wealthy, unsuspecting players to the games. Prosecutors said that during one of the games, the scheme's organizers exchanged messages that said one of the victims “acted like he wanted Chauncey to get his money” because he was “starstruck.”
Prosecutors say Billups, who earned about $106 million for his acting, received a portion of the profits from the scheme. For example, after one rigged game in October 2020, he was transferred $50,000.
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The scheme's masterminds also had to share some of their profits with the Gambino, Genovese and Bonanno mafia families for their involvement in illegal poker games run by New York crime enterprises, prosecutors said. Mafia The group members, in turn, helped commit violent acts, including assaults, extortion and robberies, to ensure debts were paid off and the operation's continued success, they said.
Billups played 17 years in the NBA, working for the Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers. But he is perhaps best loved in Detroit, where he earned the nickname “Mr. Big Shot” for his clutch skills.
Billups was named NBA Finals MVP during the Pistons' 2004 title run, and the team retired his No. 1 jersey. After retiring in 2014, Billups began a career as a television analyst and then transitioned into coaching.
He was hired as Portland's coach in 2021 and signed a multi-year extension with the Trail Blazers earlier this year after the team missed the playoffs for a fourth straight season in 2024. Billups previously served as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Clippers. After his arrest, he was placed on unpaid leave, and the Trail Blazers named assistant coach and former NBA player Thiago Splitter as interim coach.
