Blazers coach Chauncey Billups arrested by FBI for illegal gambling

[JN61]

I wouldn't defend the people doing illegal activity, but this illegal activity rides on top of legal sports betting, which came in 2018 with a decision by the Supreme Court in the direction of what the president and other politicians had publicly supported.

Make no mistake, things wouldn't be like this right now if the government had maintained it's prior attitude about such gambling.

Make no mistakes, poker games were involved in this case as well. No matter how much damage control you do to these cheaters.

I’m not sure why you’re saying this. Are you saying that poker was the main illegal thing here?

Do you understand that because sports gambling is now legal there’s way more money going into it?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just pointing out how ridiculous it is to direct discussion of criminals doing criminal activities into something totally different. It's fine to talk about in generally but this is pretty cut and dry case of Billups being wrong in here.

[Curmudgeon]

So what? Suppose Billups had shot someone in the head and was convicted of murder. Why would that be an "NBA scandal"? Quite a few NBA players have been convicted of crimes. There was the health insurance fraud scheme in 2023, involving Big Baby Davis, Will Bynum and others, Javarais Crittenden, currently serving 23 years for manslaughter, Reuben Patterson, convicted twice of assault, etc. etc. etc. But none of those crimes implicated the league. Why does this one?

Rozier is a different story. If he is guilty, then yes, the league is implicated in that, since his actions might have affected the outcome of games. That's why Jontay Porter was banned for life in 2023.

All of this is to distract the public from the Epstein files, that's all.

[JN61]

Ummmm k.

Chauncey can't rely on some "If the poker chip don't fit, you must acquit" argument. It's more like "If you don't pay the Trump fine, you gonna do some time."

Or criminals shouldn't commit crimes.

[xdrta+]

So what? Suppose Billups had shot someone in the head and was convicted of murder. Why would that be an "NBA scandal"? Quite a few NBA players have been convicted of crimes. There was the health insurance fraud scheme in 2023, involving Big Baby Davis, Will Bynum and others, Javarais Crittenden, currently serving 23 years for manslaughter, Reuben Patterson, convicted twice of assault, etc. etc. etc. But none of those crimes implicated the league. Why does this one?

Maybe because he passed on information to bettors about the team and who would be playing. That would seem to involve the NBA.

[Old_Blue]

Ummmm k.

Chauncey can't rely on some "If the poker chip don't fit, you must acquit" argument. It's more like "If you don't pay the Trump fine, you gonna do some time."

Or criminals shouldn't commit crimes.

We're living in a time when being a criminal is merely a state of mind. Anyone can be pardoned of anything. Trump has openly discussed pardoning and or commuting Diddy's criminal sentence.

https://www.tmz.com/2025/10/20/donald-trump-diddy-commutation-soon/

10/20/2025

"According to our source, the President is "vacillating" on a commutation. We're told some of the W.H. staff are urging Trump not to commute the sentence. But, our source states the obvious -- "Trump will do what he wants," and we're told Trump could set Diddy free as early as this week."

[madskillz8]

Those dudes are guilty and trump is after the NBA… both things could be true at the same time… you think Trump would forget what Kerr, Pop, and warriors did to him easily?

I mean FBI literally investigated Lebron James about HGH scandal when his non-athlete friend caught red handed. During Obama administration... What does that mean, then? was Obama after Lebron? Or should we say Obama was the one who saved Lebron's ass?

Bringing politics into the obvious NBA people-betting relationship is just weak IMHO. NBA is very consistent on ignoring everything that could make them lose money. It's about time.

Spoiler:

[JN61]

Those dudes are guilty and trump is after the NBA… both things could be true at the same time… you think Trump would forget what Kerr, Pop, and warriors did to him easily?

I mean FBI literally investigated Lebron James about HGH scandal when his non-athlete friend caught red handed. During Obama administration... What does that mean, then? was Obama after Lebron? Or should we say Obama was the one who saved Lebron's ass?

Bringing politics into the obvious NBA people-betting relationship is just weak IMHO. NBA is very consistent on ignoring everything that could make them lose money. It's about time.

Spoiler:

Its literally to brush away any accountability these people should have. Fan damage control is irrational and asinine.

[Old_Blue]

Bringing politics into the obvious NBA people-betting relationship is just weak IMHO. NBA is very consistent on ignoring everything that could make them lose money. It's about time.

Politics and the law are now inseparably intertwined. We're watching it happen in real time. No sooner has someone been convicted of some crime and Trump is pardoning them. George Santos was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison and served all of 3 months. Trump issued over 1,600 pardons to January 6th insurrectionists, many of whom had yet to be sentenced or had yet to even go to trial. If ever there was a time to simply throw money at a situation to make it all go away, now is that time. Given the FBI's historical conviction rate and the mounds of evidence they likely have on him, Chauncey's best best is to simply beg Trump for mercy.

[Wolveswin]

Ummmm k.

Chauncey can't rely on some "If the poker chip don't fit, you must acquit" argument. It's more like "If you don't pay the Trump fine, you gonna do some time."

Or criminals shouldn't commit crimes.

Not worth your time. You are dealing withTinfoil hat, and mama‘s basement.

Personal attacks are not allowed. Disagree without the insults. -b

[Doctor MJ]

Make no mistakes, poker games were involved in this case as well. No matter how much damage control you do to these cheaters.

I’m not sure why you’re saying this. Are you saying that poker was the main illegal thing here?

Do you understand that because sports gambling is now legal there’s way more money going into it?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just pointing out how ridiculous it is to direct discussion of criminals doing criminal activities into something totally different. It's fine to talk about in generally but this is pretty cut and dry case of Billups being wrong in here.

So, sounds like you're really seeing it as me making excuses for Billups, but I'm not doing this at all. Regardless of any of the other societal context that led to us being where they are, a criminal should be on the hook for the crimes they commit.

But, if you want know the how and why we are seeing things happen in the broader systems, you need to move beyond just looking to hang the "bad apple". It's not about "being understanding" of the criminal, it's about actually understanding what's going on.

If you refuse to consider the role of legalizing sports gambling in 2018 in crimes relating to the legal sports gambling industry of 2025, then you'll remain ignorant about the really big stuff that's going on.

[Doctor MJ]

Its literally to brush away any accountability these people should have. Fan damage control is irrational and asinine.

See that's the thing: Most of the people in this thread are not doing this. They're interested in understanding how we got where we are on this stuff separate from what punishment Billups specifically deserves.

Now, does that mean their theories are right? Nope. People have different thoughts, and some are clearly trapped in cycles of conspiracy theories to try to explain everything in their life and thus they'll understand nothing at all.

But that doesn't mean they are necessarily motivated by protecting the criminals.

[D.Brasco]

Read on Twitter

[dballislife]

i mean at most he gets fired from nba and pay millions in fines that he can afford...the system works

[VanWest82]

Chauncey apparently wore a Klutch Sports Group hoodie to his court appearance today lol. I'm guessing they represent him but it's still funny.

[MrTribbiani]

Chauncey apparently wore a Klutch Sports Group hoodie to his court appearance today lol. I'm guessing they represent him but it's still funny.

True. Though some folks will claim that means that Klutch was involved somehow. It's funny how Klutch gets more hate than other agencies (like CAA) even though they all operate the same way. It's probably cause Rich Paul runs Klutch, and many people hate him because he's LeBron's agent.

[amcoolio]

Chauncey can't rely on some "If the poker chip don't fit, you must acquit" argument. It's more like "If you don't pay the Trump fine, you gonna do some time."

Or criminals shouldn't commit crimes.

Not worth your time. You are dealing withTinfoil hat, and mama‘s basement.

Personal attacks are not allowed. Disagree without the insults. -b

It's painfully obvious that Trump pardons criminals if they pledge loyalty and money to him. Do you agree?

Regardless of if you are republican, democrat, or neither, don't you agree that is wrong? And shouldn't exist?

[Wolveswin]

Or criminals shouldn't commit crimes.

Not worth your time. You are dealing withTinfoil hat, and mama‘s basement.

Personal attacks are not allowed. Disagree without the insults. -b

It's painfully obvious that Trump pardons criminals if they pledge loyalty and money to him. Do you agree?

Regardless of if you are republican, democrat, or neither, don't you agree that is wrong? And shouldn't exist?

I didn’t say if it was wrong right or otherwise. But it is equally as wrong to use an auto pen and pardon people that didn’t deserve it you agree?

[The Master]

Chauncey apparently wore a Klutch Sports Group hoodie to his court appearance today lol. I'm guessing they represent him but it's still funny.

His daughter works for Klutch as a manager, I guess they're all pretty close regardless of Billups being represented by them or not, maybe this was his outfit when the FBI knocked on the door, I don't know.

[Sixers in 4]

Or criminals shouldn't commit crimes.

Not worth your time. You are dealing withTinfoil hat, and mama‘s basement.

Personal attacks are not allowed. Disagree without the insults. -b

It's painfully obvious that Trump pardons criminals if they pledge loyalty and money to him. Do you agree?

Regardless of if you are republican, democrat, or neither, don't you agree that is wrong? And shouldn't exist?

Why is this a subject of conversation inregards to Billups? Can we all agree to keep this stuff in the politics board. Lets keep this thread open for basketball and not derail it on nonsense

[VanWest82]

Chauncey apparently wore a Klutch Sports Group hoodie to his court appearance today lol. I'm guessing they represent him but it's still funny.

True. Though some folks will claim that means that Klutch was involved somehow. It's funny how Klutch gets more hate than other agencies (like CAA) even though they all operate the same way. It's probably cause Rich Paul runs Klutch, and many people hate him because he's LeBron's agent.

People don't like Klutch because of the conflict of interest involved when it comes to Lebron and Rich. In theory, Rich is doing his best for each and every client, and that is likely true in most/all cases; however, it can't be ignored how Klutch has been used as a tool for Lebron team building agendas at multiple stops. No one else in the history of the league has had that. CAA doesn't owe their brand to Chris Paul, for example. It's proven to be an unfair advantage at times, like when they signed AD and demanded a trade to only Lebron's team.