NBA news: who are Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones?

Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones were arrested Thursday morning as part of an FBI investigation into allegations of illegal gambling with ties to the La Cosa Nostra crime families.

Billups and Jones allegedly knowingly participated in rigged poker games, while Rozier and Jones allegedly disclosed non-public information about NBA games so their loved ones could bet with a competitive advantage.

Each person has or had an important role in the NBA, but now their legacy seems tarnished.

Here’s an in-depth look at how Billups, Rozier and Jones got to where they are today.

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Chauncey Billups

Before returning to the sidelines as a coach, Billups was a top player, most notably with the Detroit Pistons.

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

Before that, Billups was the third overall pick of the Boston Celtics in 1997 after playing at Colorado. He stayed in Boston for about half a season before being traded to the Toronto Raptors. He was then traded to the Denver Nuggets the following year and signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2000.

Billups signed with Detroit before the 2002-03 season and found his niche, becoming a defensive stalwart and being named to four of his five All-Star teams as a Piston. From 2011 until the end of his career, he made another stopover with the Nuggets, the New York Knicks, the Los Angeles Clippers then the Pistons one last time before making it a career. From 2003 to 2011, he averaged 17.3 points and 6.2 assists per game.

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups watches from the sidelines during the first half against the San Antonio Spurs at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon on April 6, 2025. (Soobum Im/Imagn Images)

He was hired as an assistant coach for the Clippers in 2020, then became the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers the following year. He agreed to a multi-year extension with the club in April.

Billups was allegedly dubbed one of the “face cards,” who the indictment says were “members of the cheating crews and received a portion of the proceeds of crime in exchange for their participation in the scheme.” The scheme caused victims to lose at least $7.15 million, dating back to April 2019, according to the Justice Department.

Billups was “used to lure victims to the games because of their status as former professional athletes,” the DOJ said.

Billups was one of five defendants who “organized and participated in rigged poker games” in Las Vegas “using a rigged shuffling machine,” with victims losing at least $50,000. One of the defendants texted another co-conspirator to say that Billups should deliberately lose his hand to avoid suspicion of cheating.

During that match, a defendant said one of the victims “acted like she wanted Chauncey to have his money” because he was “hit by Billups,” according to officials.

In October 2020, Billups allegedly received $50,000 following a rigged poker game.

Billups’ career earnings exceeded $100 million as a player, while Jones earned at least $20 million.

Detroit Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups (1) shoots a free throw during the fourth quarter against the Washington Wizards at Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons won 113-102. (Tim Fuller/USA Today Sports)

Billups is not listed in the sports betting scandal that led to Terry Rozier’s arrest. However, the DOJ cited a Trail Blazers-Chicago Bulls game on March 24, 2023, the day after Rozier’s alleged wrongdoing, during which a co-conspirator, “an NBA coach at the time,” allegedly told a longtime friend, who is also a defendant in the rigged poker scheme, that the Blazers would “chase” that night for a better overall pick. draft and would sit some of the team’s best players. The rest of the players were not yet made public. The team’s top four scorers, including Damian Lillard, did not all play that night because other co-conspirators allegedly bet more than $100,000 in total against Portland.

The “co-conspirator” in question is listed as a former NBA player whose career spanned “from approximately 1997 to 2014” and “an NBA coach since at least 2021.” Only Billups meets this criterion.

Terry Rozier

Rozier was the only active NBA player arrested Thursday as he is accused of intentionally leaving a 2023 game early, citing injury so that co-conspirators could allegedly bet on his “under” prop bets.

Before essentially becoming a tarnished player, Rozier played at the University of Louisville for two seasons before becoming the 16th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.

Rozier was drafted by the Boston Celtics, where he spent his first four seasons primarily as a backup. He was traded to the Charlotte Hornets after the 2018-19 season, where he found his niche and became an everyday starter.

Terry Rozier #3 of the Charlotte Hornets brings the ball up the court against the Philadelphia 76ers during their game at Spectrum Center on January 20, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

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As his minutes increased, he ended up averaging 18.0 points per game in his first season with Charlotte. The following season, he scored 20.4 points and notched a career-high 21.1 points in the 2022-23 season.

Due to his prowess, Rozier signed a four-year contract extension worth $97 million with the Hornets shortly before the start of the 2021-22 season. However, he was traded to the Miami Heat in exchange for Kyle Lowry and a first-round pick during the 2023-24 season.

It was initially reported in January that Rozier was under investigation for involvement in a March 23, 2023 match.

Rozier allegedly told a childhood friend, Deniro Laster, that he would pull out of a match early, citing injury so Laster could place bets based on that information. Neither Hornets officials nor the betting companies were informed of Rozier’s plan, according to the indictment, and Rozier was not listed on the team’s injury report.

Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier (2) drives to the basket against Washington Wizards guard AJ Johnson (5) during the first quarter at Capital One Arena on May 31, 2025. (Reggie Hildred/Imagn Images)

Laster then allegedly sold this information to other co-conspirators, and numerous people placed bets totaling approximately $200,000 on Rozier’s “slot” bets to hit both parlay and straight bets. After Rozier played only nine minutes and never returned, the bets were won. Rozier and Laster counted the cash winnings at Rozier’s Charlotte home about a week later, the indictment says.

Damon Jones

Although he went undrafted out of Houston in 1997, Jones still managed to play 11 seasons in the NBA. The definition of a journeyman, Jones played for 10 teams during his career. However, throughout his tenure, he was teammates with A-list stars including LeBron James during his three-year stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005 to 2008. He also spent a season with Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal with the Miami Heat.

He moved into coaching after his playing career, winning a title with James and the Cavs in 2016 as an assistant. Jones joined the Los Angeles Lakers, James’ current team, as an unofficial, unpaid member of the coaching staff for the 2022-23 season. Jones, however, is accused of wrongdoing during this season.

He reportedly told someone close to him that a “prominent” Lakers player would not play on February 9, 2023, before the information was public.

“Make a big bet on [the] Milwaukee [Bucks] this evening before the information is broadcast! [Player 3] came out this evening. Bet enough so the Djones can eat [sic] now!!!,” Jones allegedly texted a friend.

The DOJ says the player was ultimately ruled out due to a lower body injury – James did not play that night due to an ankle injury that kept him out for two additional games, and ESPN reported that the player in question was actually James. The game in question took place two days after James scored 38 points to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

LeBron James (23) talks with Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue (not pictured) and former teammate Damon Jones, center, during an off-day practice before the Golden State Warriors play the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, on Tuesday, June 6 2017. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

Jones also allegedly gave inside information about another “one of the Lakers’ best players” 11 months later regarding an injury that might affect his performance, which ultimately backfired as the player “played well” and the Lakers won.

Billups, Rozier and Jones, the latter a defendant in both cases, were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The NBA announced that Billups and Rozier had been placed on immediate leave from their teams, “and we will continue to cooperate with the appropriate authorities.”

“The integrity of our game remains our top priority,” the NBA said.