NEW YORK (AP) — Chauncey Billups is expected back in federal court Monday on money laundering and wire fraud conspiracy charges.
The former NBA player and Colorado native was arrested along with more than 30 others, accused of luring players into rigged poker games tied to the mafia. Billups was arrested last month after prosecutors said he used his celebrity status to draw high-rollers to poker tables that used X-ray technology and rigged shuffling machines. The Federal Bureau of Investigation said the scheme involved tens of millions of dollars in fraud, theft, and robbery.
The Denver native and coach of the Portland Trail Blazers is expected to plead not guilty in court Monday.
Chris Heywood, his attorney, has said Billups is a “man of integrity” and denies the charges.
“To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal government is accusing him of 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,” Heywood said after Billups appeared in federal court in Portland, Oregon, when prosecutors first announced the indictment on Oct. 23.
Shortly after Billups' arrest, Denver7’s Maggie Bryan spoke with a principal at his former school, George Washington High School, about his continued impact on the community.
“When he comes back to Denver to play the Nuggets, you know, he always stops by and says hello to us, and so we just have a great relationship. And I, like I said, I think the world of him,” George Washington High School Principal Dackri Davis said.
Billups led the George Washington High School basketball team to two state championships before going on to star in college for the Colorado Buffaloes. He then played 17 years in the NBA, with stints with the Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers.
He is perhaps most beloved in the Motor City, where he earned the nickname “Mr. Big Shot” for his knack of making clutch shots. Billups was named the NBA Finals MVP during the Pistons' title run in 2004 and had his No. 1 jersey retired by the team. He was inducted to the NBA Hall of Fame last year for his illustrious career.
After retiring in 2014, Billups embarked on a career as a TV analyst before pivoting to 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 out on the playoffs for the fourth straight season in 2024. Billups previously served as an assistant coach on the Los Angeles Clippers.
After his arrest and the charges against Billups became public, he was placed on unpaid leave and assistant coach and former NBA player Tiago Splitter was named the Trail Blazers’ interim coach.
Billups was one of 31 defendants charged in the scheme, all of whom are due in court Monday.
Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones was also nabbed in that alleged scheme, which prosecutors say utilized a range of sophisticated technology that allowed the gambling to be rigged, such as altered card-shuffling machines, hidden cameras in poker chip trays, special sunglasses and even X-ray equipment built into the table to read cards.
Jones was also charged along with Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier in a separate scheme at the same time that allowed gamblers to exploit insider information about players to win bets on NBA games.
*The Associated Press contributed to this report.
