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Tag: jontay porter

  • Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups charged in Mafia-backed poker scheme

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    NEW YORK — Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were arrested Thursday along with more than 30 other people accused of participating in schemes involving illegal sports betting and rigged poker games backed by the Mafia, authorities said.

    Rozier is accused of participating in an illegal sports betting scheme using private insider NBA information, officials said. Billups, a Denver native who starred for the Nuggets during a long playing career, is charged in a separate indictment alleging a wide-ranging scheme to rig underground poker games that were backed by Mafia families, authorities said.

    Both men face money laundering and wire fraud conspiracy charges and were expected to make initial court appearances later Thursday.

    In the first case, six defendants are accused of participating in an insider sports betting conspiracy that exploited confidential information about NBA athletes and teams, said Joseph Nocella, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York. He called it “one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized in the United States.”

    The second case involves 31 defendants in a nationwide scheme to rig illegal poker games, Nocella said. The defendants include former professional athletes accused of using technology to steal millions of dollars in underground poker games in the New York area that were backed by Mafia families, he said.

    “My message to the defendants who’ve been rounded up today is this: Your winning streak has ended. Your luck has run out,” Nocella said.

    A message seeking comment was left Thursday morning with Billups. A message was also left with Rozier’s lawyer, Jim Trusty. Trusty previously told ESPN that Rozier was told that an initial investigation determined he did nothing wrong after he met with NBA and FBI officials in 2023, the sports network reported.

    In the sports betting scheme, players sometimes altered their performance or took themselves out of games early, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. In one instance, Rozier, while playing for the Hornets, told people he was planning to leave the game early with a “supposed injury,” allowing them to place wagers that raked in thousands of dollars, Tisch said.

    The indictment of Rozier and others says there are nine unnamed co-conspirators, including a Florida resident who was an NBA player, an Oregon resident who was an NBA player from about 1997 to 2014 and an NBA coach since at least 2021, as well as a relative of Rozier. Billups played in the NBA from 1997 to 2014 and currently resides in Portland as the Trail Blazers’ head coach.

    Rozier and other defendants “had access to private information known by NBA players or NBA coaches” that was likely to affect the outcome of games or players’ performances and provided that information to other co-conspirators in exchange for either a flat fee or a share of betting profits, the indictment says.

    The NBA placed Billups and Rozier on immediate leave Thursday and released a statement: “We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictments announced today. Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups are being placed on immediate leave from their teams, and we will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities. We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority.”

    Rozier was in uniform as the Heat played the Magic on Wednesday evening in Orlando, Florida, in the season opener for both teams, though he did not play in the game. He was taken into custody in Orlando early Thursday morning. The team did not immediately comment on the arrest.

    The case was brought by the U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn that previously prosecuted ex-NBA player Jontay Porter. The former Toronto Raptors center pleaded guilty to charges that he withdrew early from games, claiming illness or injury, so that those in the know could win big by betting on him to underperform expectations.

    Billups was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame last year. The five-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA point guard led the Detroit Pistons to their third league title in 2004 as NBA Finals MVP.

    The Denver-born phenom graduated from George Washington High School and played basketball at CU before being selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics.  Known as Mr. Big Shot nationally and the King of Park Hill locally in Denver, Billups also played for Toronto, Denver, Minnesota, the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Clippers. Billups won the Joe Dumars Trophy, the NBA’s sportsmanship award, in 2009 while playing for his hometown Nuggets.

    The 49-year-old Billups is in his fifth season as Portland’s coach, compiling a 117-212 record. The Trail Blazers opened the season Wednesday night at home with a 118-114 loss to Minnesota. Billups’ brother, Rodney, is currently the Nuggets’ director of player development and an assistant coach on David Adelman’s staff.

    A game involving Rozier that has been in question was a matchup between the Hornets and the New Orleans Pelicans on March 23, 2023. Rozier played the first 9 minutes and 36 seconds of that game — and not only did not return that night, citing a foot issue, but did not play again that season. Charlotte had eight games remaining and was not in playoff contention, so it did not seem particularly unusual that Rozier was shut down for the season’s final games.

    In that game, Rozier finished with five points, four rebounds and two assists in that opening period — a productive quarter but well below his usual total output for a full game.

    Posts still online from March 23, 2023, show that some bettors were furious with sportsbooks that evening when it became evident that Rozier was not going to return to the Charlotte-New Orleans game after the first quarter, with many turning to social media to say that something “shady” had gone on regarding the prop bets involving his stats for that night.

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  • David Adelman after Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier arrests connected to sports gambling: ‘Just hoping for the best for everybody’

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    SAN FRANCISCO — In his first pregame news conference of the season, and his tenure as a full-time NBA head coach, David Adelman didn’t hear as many basketball questions as he probably would’ve liked.

    That’s because a somber cloud hung over the league on Thursday, after the arrests and federal indictments of an active player, Miami’s Terry Rozier, and a sitting head coach, Portland’s Chauncey Billups, in a wide-ranging FBI gambling investigation.

    “It’s tough,” Nuggets guard Bruce Brown said Thursday morning before the team’s season opener. “I know Chauncey’s a great guy. I’ve hung around him a little bit. It’s just unfortunate.”

    The indictments — particularly Rozier’s, which involved NBA players and coaches divulging nonpublic information to associates for the purpose of placing bets — raised another round of questions about the spread of such information and, more generally, the potential for corruption associated with the proliferation of online sports betting.

    “It’s new, so it’s like anything else. When the world changes, there’s gonna be hiccups,” Adelman said Thursday evening. “People get themselves in tough situations. I think all you can do is just keep pounding the rock and just (emphasize), ‘Hey, you’ve gotta be careful and understand what this is.’

    “(Betting) is such a part of our culture now and community, it’s not going anywhere. … You have to bring it up maybe more. Have more meetings about it. Mention it more throughout the year. Because you care about your players and you care about your staff, and you just don’t want to see them get in a tough situation.”

    Rodney Billups, who is Chauncey’s brother, is an assistant coach on Adelman’s staff and remained with the team Thursday. Adelman declined to specify whether they had a conversation about possibly stepping away from the team for personal reasons, but he stressed the importance of supporting his coworkers.

    “Whatever Rodney needs for his family is all I care about,” Adelman said. “The situation itself, I only know what I’ve read. You guys know what I know. When your family member is affected by something, you have to support that person. Rodney has been nothing but great for us since he’s been here.”

    Adelman and Warriors coach Steve Kerr both explained that the NBA facilitates meetings with each team about gambling and information disclosure. One example in Thursday’s indictment alleges that a co-conspirator told a bettor several Portland players would be sitting out a March 23, 2023, game as the Blazers were tanking for a better draft pick, allegedly leading to more than $100,000 in wagers that Portland would lose.

    “They give us the guidelines of what it is,” Adelman said. “Obviously, a tricky situation with some of the ‘don’t text, don’t talk,’ that kind of stuff. You’ve just gotta be careful in casual conversation with what you say. That’s the only level of it I know. They give us all the advice about it.”

    “I feel very comfortable sharing details because the league is really adamant about this stuff,” Kerr said. “Every team has to listen closely and hear everything, and a big part of that meeting was, (if) you tell one of your friends that ‘so and so is not playing’ and then that person tells someone else, you are liable. We know this.”

    Players also deal with an increased proximity to emboldened, aggressive fans on the internet stemming from the gambling industry.

    “Obviously, after every game, we get DMs about not hitting people’s parlays,” Brown said. “… There’s been games where I’ve been called every name in the book, just because I didn’t hit a 3 or two. I mean, that’s just the state of the game we’re in, since sports betting (became) legal. So I mean, just kind of deal with it. Not think about it. Don’t check your DMs after games.”

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    Bennett Durando

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  • Feds reveal mafia-linked gambling probe that led to arrests of Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups and NBA star Terry Rozier

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    (CNN) — Portland Trail Blazers head coach and basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA journeyman Damon Jones are among 34 people indicted in connection with two separate federal gambling investigations announced by the Eastern District of New York on Thursday.

    At a lengthy and at times spirited news conference that included FBI Director Kash Patel, US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr., and others detailed the sweeping multi-year investigations that spanned 11 states, resulted in the arrests of 34 people, involved tens of millions of dollars and included members of the notorious Bonanno, Genovese, Gambino and Luchese crime families.

    Billups, who coached in the Trail Blazers’ opening game on Wednesday night, was arrested in Portland on Thursday morning and is expected to appear in federal court there later on Thursday. Rozier, arrested in Orlando, will appear there.

    Both will be arraigned at a later date in Brooklyn.

    Jones, who retired in 2012, is one of three people to be charged in both cases.

    “My message to the defendants who have been rounded up today is this: Your winning streak has ended,’’ Nocella said. “Your luck has run out. Violating the law is a losing proposition, and you can bet on that.’’

    Billups, the Portland head coach since 2021, is charged in an elaborate scheme in which marks were lured to participate in rigged poker games in part with the opportunity to play alongside the NBA five-time All-Star as well as Jones.

    Billups, Nocella said, knowingly served as the so-called “face card,” to attract the “fish,” to underground games in Miami, New York, Las Vegas and the Hamptons that they had no chance of winning. Those involved in the scheme used rigged card-shuffling machines, poker chip trays and even special contact lenses or eyeglasses that could read pre-marked cards. In some instances, the alleged conspirators used X-ray tables that reveal cards when they are placed face down.

    Nocella said the scheme, deemed “Zen Diagram” by the feds, “fleeced” victims out of tens of millions of dollars. One alleged victim lost $1.8 million. The money was then laundered by the crime families.

    “And when people refused to pay, these defendants did what organized crime has always done,’’ New York police commissioner Jessica Tisch said. “They used threats. They used intimidation. And they used violence. It’s the same pattern that we have seen for decades, traditional mob enforcement methods combined with new technology to expand the reach of their operations.’’

    Rozier, who was arrested in an Orlando hotel, was alleged to participate in a game-fixing scheme that included prop bets on his availability.

    Investigators allege between December 2022 and March 2024, Rozier tipped people about his availability for games, citing seven specific games in their investigation including one, against the New Orleans Pelicans, already flagged by sportsbooks for irregular activity.

    Terry Rozier is pictured for the Miami Heat during the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on December 29, 2024. Credit: Alex Slitz / Getty Images via CNN Newsource

    In that March 2023 game, Rozier, then with the Charlotte Hornets, left the game after just nine minutes with an injury. According to investigators, Rozier shared that inside information, and his co-conspirator bettors made $200,000 in wagers on the under.

    “Those bets paid out, generating tens of thousands of dollars in profit,’’ Tisch said. “The proceeds were later delivered to his home, where the group counted their cash.’’

    That investigation, deemed “Nothing But Net,” also included the previous arrest of former Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter, who was banned from the NBA in 2024 and later admitted to manipulating his performance in two games. He is awaiting sentencing.

    Nocella said other defendants involved in the case threatened Porter, who had pre-existing gambling debts, in order to get the inside information.

    “This is the insider trading saga of the NBA,’’ FBI Director Patel said.

    The NBA has said previously it looked into the game involving Rozier against the Pelicans and that no rules had been broken. He was with the Heat, who opened their season on Wednesday, but did not play due to a coach’s decision.

    Jim Trusty, Rozier’s attorney, strongly disputed the accusations, saying that prosecutors characterized Rozier as a subject of their investigation and not a target.

    “But at 6 a.m. this morning they called to tell me FBI agents were trying to arrest him in a hotel,’’ Trusty said.

    “They wanted the misplaced glory of embarrassing a professional athlete with a perp walk. That tells you a lot about the motivations in this case. They appear to be taking the word of spectacularly incredible sources rather than relying on actual evidence of wrongdoing. Terry was cleared by the NBA and these prosecutors revived that non-case. Terry is not a gambler, but he is not afraid of a fight, and he looks forward to winning this fight.”

    CNN has reached out to the Trail Blazers and other teams mentioned in the news conference. Attorney information for Billups was not immediately available.

    In a statement, the NBA said, “We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictments announced today. Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups are being placed on immediate leave from their teams, and we will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities. We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority.”

    The Heat directed press inquiries to the NBA statement. The Trail Blazers noted that Tiago Splitter will be taking on interim head coaching duties as Billups is on leave.

    “We are aware of the allegations involving head coach Chauncey Billups, and the Trail Blazers are fully cooperating with the investigation. Billups has been placed on immediate leave, and Tiago Splitter will assume head coaching duties in the interim. Any further questions should be directed to the NBA,” the Blazers said in a statement.

    This story has been updated with additional reporting.

    CNN’s Kara Scannell and Mark Morales contributed reporting to this story.

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    CNN and Dana O’Neil

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  • Michael Porter Jr. embraces Nuggets brotherhood amid family sorrow

    Michael Porter Jr. embraces Nuggets brotherhood amid family sorrow

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    DENVER — Nobody needed basketball more this week than Michael Porter Jr.

    “I definitely tried to compartmentalize,” Porter Jr. said after the Nuggets Game 1 victory over Los Angeles. “Some bad stuff and some sad stuff happened to my brothers.”

    In the span of two days, Michael Porter Jr. watched one younger brother — Jontay — gamble his way to a lifetime ban from the NBA.

    Then, his youngest brother — Coban — was sentenced to six years in prison for killing a young woman in a drunk driving crash.

    “I wish it was me,” Michael Porter Jr. said testifying at the sentencing hearing on Friday — the day before Denver opened up the playoffs against the Lakers. “As the older brother in the family, I wish it was me. I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my life, I wish it was me not Coban.”

    Michael Porter Jr. missed practice to be at that hearing, but the entire team made sure he knew that his family was on their hearts.

    “Each one of them texted me separately and told me they got my back and if I needed anything they got me,” Michael Porter Jr. said. “To have these guys understand why I missed practice and have my back has been big for me.”

    After all of that, the hardwood floor at Ball Arena proved to be a sanctuary for MPJ on Saturday night.

    “That’s why basketball is such a beautiful thing,” Nikola Jokic said after watching Michael Porter Jr. score 19 points and help Denver claim a 1-0 series lead over Los Angeles. “You don’t think about [anything] but what’s going on on the floor.”

    “There’s so much going on for Michael Porter Jr. and his family,” Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said. “This allows him to get back to doing something not only that he loves but that he does very well.”

    MPJ, along with the rest of the Nuggets, got off to a slow start in Game 1. It’s hard to believe that had nothing to do with the pain inevitably weighing on his heart.

    “We’re human, we carry our emotions and the things that go on off the court onto the court,” Michael Porter Jr. said. “I’m mentally tough, I’ve been though a lot my whole career so it was just another one of those things that I had to play through.”

    Leaning on perseverance and championship experience, MPJ and the team as a whole found a rhythm in the second half and imposed their will on the Lakers in what turned out to be a comfortable victory.

    “For his mindset to be where it is, I applaud him,” Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said of Porter Jr. “We’re going to keep him, as a brother, we’re going to keep him straight.”

    The mental strength displayed by Michael Porter Jr. is nothing short of Herculean.

    He’s battled back surgeries, physical and mental pain — now, sorrow and scandal among his siblings.

    During these dark moments, Michael Porter Jr. leans on faith and family to provide warmth.

    “I’ve got 15, 16 more brothers in [the locker room],” Porter Jr. said. “I knew I had to be here for them and come in here and do my job.”

    “Of course family is the first thing but we are some kind of family too,” Jokic said. “Hopefully he’s going to find peace and he’s going to be in a good spot mentally.”

    Winning won’t cure everything, but it works as a soothing balm for now.

    While the tempest rages around Porter Jr., throwing himself into work — at this time of year — may be a championship decision.

    Michael Porter Jr. embraces Nuggets brotherhood amid family sorrow

    The Follow Up

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    Nick Rothschild

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  • Renck: Michael Porter Jr. finds support from teammates as he seeks refuge on court

    Renck: Michael Porter Jr. finds support from teammates as he seeks refuge on court

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    There is a chair in front of Michael Porter Jr.’s locker where the artwork rests. It was a gift from teammates Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jamal Murray, a reminder that there is no paved road back to an NBA title. It reads simply: “I am going to do today what others won’t, so that tomorrow I can do what others can’t.”

    Porter looked back at the picture Saturday night with comfort.

    “I have to go hang that up at the house,” Porter said.

    Porter, 25, had an awful week off the court. Wednesday, his brother Jontay, 24, a former Toronto Raptors reserve, received a lifetime ban from the NBA for allegedly betting on basketball and disclosing confidential information to bettors. Two days later, Coban, 22, a former University of Denver guard, received a six-year prison sentence for a drunken driving crash that killed a 42-year-old woman last year.

    Porter missed Nuggets practice Friday to testify on Coban’s behalf, telling the judge how Coban provided a source of motivation growing up, always pushing him to work harder and get better.

    “It’s not often a big brother looks up to his little brother,” Porter said.

    It was against this backdrop that Porter entered the playoffs. The scrutiny only amplified because of the stakes and the opponent.

    Would MPJ be able to find refuge on the court?

    What unfurled suggests the playoffs will remain a continuation of the best stretch of his career. Porter delivered 19 points and eight rebounds in the Nuggets’ 114-103 Game 1 victory. He did not turn the ball over. His length and athleticism caused fits for the Lakers.

    “I definitely tried to compartmentalize — some bad and sad stuff with a couple of my brothers,” Porter said. “But I’ve got, you know, 15, 16 more brothers in here. I knew I had to be here for them, and come in and do my job and prepare to do it at a high level.”

    Basketball offers an escape, a two-hour diversion from reality. Yet the specter of what has happened to Porter’s family is inescapable. No one would have been surprised had he been distracted. What Saturday revealed offers hope for this postseason. The caring and trust of teammates is real, genuine. Without it, there is movement but no progress.

    “For his mindset to be where it is, I applaud him,” guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said. “We are going to keep him as a brother and keep him straight.”

    Porter appreciates the environment his teammates have created, enveloping him with a cocoon of support. After all, he is not pretending to be immune from what has happened in his personal life.

    “Each one of them texted me separately and just told me that they’ve got my back. That if I need anything they’ve got me,” Porter said. “We’re human, so we carry our emotions and the things that go on off of the court, onto the court. But I am mentally tough.”

    As an X-factor, Porter creates options and questions, a refrain that has followed him since he was drafted. His talent is unique – a 6-foot-10 wing capable of living behind the arc and working the boards. When the Nuggets defense intensified in the third quarter – Denver outscored the Lakers 32-18 – it created opportunities in transition. During these times, Porter thrives, drifting to the corners for wide-open looks.

    The Lakers have no answer for the Nuggets bigs, most notably the future three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. Coach Darvin Ham insisted, like he did a year ago, that there are adjustments they held back as part of the series chess match. Riiiiight. Is he saving them for a beach volleyball game in Cancun?

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    Troy Renck

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  • Michael Porter Jr. speaks about difficult week after Jontay Porter NBA ban, Coban Porter sentencing

    Michael Porter Jr. speaks about difficult week after Jontay Porter NBA ban, Coban Porter sentencing

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    Michael Porter Jr. said he received individual texts from Nuggets teammates checking on him after a difficult week in his personal life. His brother Coban, 22, was sentenced to six years in prison Friday for killing a woman in a drunk driving crash last year. And his brother Jontay, 24, was banned for life from the NBA earlier in the week after being investigated in a sports betting scandal.

    “Each one of them texted me separately and just told me they’ve got my back. If I need anything, they’ve got me,” Porter said Saturday night after a 114-103 Game 1 win at Ball Arena. “Yeah, a lot of people were reaching out. Friends, family. So to have these guys understand why I missed practice yesterday and just have my back has been big for me.”

    Porter’s absence from practice Friday was because he appeared in court that morning for Coban’s sentencing hearing. MPJ addressed the family of the victim, Kathy Limon Rothman, in the courtroom, saying, “I understand your family’s pain and hurt.”

    In his return to basketball Saturday, he registered 19 points and eight rebounds against the Lakers.

    “We’re human, so we carry our emotions and the things that go on off the court onto the court,” Porter said. “But I’m mentally tough. I’ve been through a lot through my whole career, so it was just another one of those things that I had to try to play through.”

    Jontay Porter was on a two-way deal with the Raptors’ organization when he allegedly shared information about his health with an individual he knew to be a sports bettor March 20. After another sports bettor subsequently placed an $80,000 parlay bet that Porter would underperform in Toronto’s game that night, Porter played only three minutes, claiming he felt ill. A league investigation also found Porter placed bets on NBA games, including one wager on the Raptors to lose a game.

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    Bennett Durando

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