American basketball is in turmoil as the US Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI) arrested coach Chauncey Billups of Portland Trail Blazers and player personal Rozier of Miami Heat for being involved in an illegal sports betting ring backed by mafia families.
According to information from the FBI, Billups - a former former NBA champion in 2004 and now the coach of Portland Trail Blazers was accused of participating in a large-scale illegal betting network. Meanwhile, Rozier is accused of taking advantage of internal information to manipulate competition results, seriously violating the tournament's fair play rules.
FBI Director Kash Patel said at a press conference in New York on October 23 that the incident was one of the largest anti-sporting crime campaigns in years, involving more than 30 suspects arrested in several US states. Federal prosecutors confirmed that the ring has direct ties to notorious crime families Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese.
Prosecutor Joseph Nocella called this "the blatantest sports corruption plot since online betting was legalized in the US". He warned: "Your luck is over."
In response to this development, NBA issued a notice confirming that it had suspended Billups and Rozier, and closely cooperated with authorities to clarify the incident. The integrity of the tournament is always our top priority, the NBA representative emphasized.
Terry Rozier is in the final year of his $96 million four-year contract with the Miami Heat, while Billups was a five-time All-Star before becoming a coach in 2021.
