NBA player and head coach among 30 arrested in illegal US gambling investigation

<p>FBI says years-long operation that led to arrest of Heat’s Terry Rozier and Trail Blazers’ Chauncey Billups also connected to mafia families </p><p>The NBA, one of the world’s most prominent sports leagues, found itself associated with illegal gambling <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/apr/17/jontay-border-gambling-ban-lifetime-toronto-raptors">again</a> on Thursday after two prominent stars were arrested in a sweeping federal investigation. Chauncey Billups, a Hall of Fame player who is now coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, was arrested in connection with a poker operation linked to the mafia, while Miami Heat star Terry Rozier is accused of taking part in a scheme to manipulate games.</p><p>“Today, we are here in New York to announce a historic arrest across a wide sweeping criminal enterprise,” the FBI director, Kash Patel, said at a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxpI-HqN-64">news conference</a> on Thursday unveiling the charges. “This is an illegal gambling operation and sports rigging operation that spanned the course of years.”</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/oct/23/heats-rozier-and-blazers-coach-billups-reportedly-arrested-over-separate-gambling-claims">Continue reading...</a>