“We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority,” the NBA said in a statement.
Hours after his arrest, Rozier appeared in a federal court in Orlando, Florida, wearing a Charlotte Hornets sweatshirt, handcuffs and shackles. Billups appeared before a judge in Portland, Oregon. Both men were ordered released from custody on certain conditions.
Billups’ attorney, Chris Heywood, issued a statement on Friday (AEDT) denying the allegations, calling his client a “man of integrity.”
“To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal government is accusing him of is to believe that he would risk his hall-of-fame legacy, his reputation and his freedom. He would not jeopardise those things for anything, let alone a card game,” Heywood said.
Rozier’s lawyer, Jim Trusty, said in a statement that his client is “not a gambler” and “looks forward to winning this fight.” Trusty criticised authorities for not allowing his client to surrender on his own and accused officials of wanting “the misplaced glory of embarrassing a professional athlete with a perp walk.”
Messages were left Thursday at a phone number and email address listed in public records for Jones.
Roughly 20 other defendants appeared in federal court in Brooklyn, where most of them pleaded not guilty. Many of those charged with violent crimes or with lengthy criminal records and ties to organised crime were detained.
Mafia families profited off gambling scheme, officials say
The poker scheme lured unwitting players into rigged games with the chance to compete against former professional basketball players like Billups and Jones. The games were fixed using sophisticated cheating technology, such as altered card-shuffling machines, hidden cameras in poker chip trays, special sunglasses and even X-ray equipment built into the table to read cards, authorities allege.
There is no suggestion LeBron James would have known his status was the subject of betting activity. Credit: Getty Images
The scheme often made use of illegal poker games run by New York crime families that required them to share a portion of their proceeds with the Gambino, Genovese and Bonnano crime families, according to court papers. Members of those families, in turn, also helped commit violent acts, including assault, extortion and robbery, to ensure repayment of debts and the continued success of the operation, officials said in court documents.
Athletes accused of leaving games early
In the sports betting scheme, Rozier and other defendants are accused of accessing private information from NBA players or coaches that could affect a player’s performance and giving that information to others so they could place wagers. Players sometimes altered their performance or took themselves out of games early to rig prop bets – a type of wager that allows gamblers to bet on whether a player will exceed a certain statistic, such as a total number of points, rebounds or assists, according to the indictment.
In one instance, Rozier, while playing for the Charlotte Hornets in 2023, told people he was planning to leave the game early with a supposed injury, allowing gamblers to place wagers earning them tens of thousands of dollars, authorities said. That game against the New Orleans Pelicans raised eyebrows at the time. Rozier played the first nine minutes and 36 seconds of the game before leaving, citing a foot issue. He did not play again that season.
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups.Credit: AP
Australian basketball great and former Dallas Mavericks and Chicago Bulls big man Chris Anstey spoke to this masthead on Friday about the culture of gambling within US sport.
“The manipulation of games should absolutely be illegal and be punished,” Anstey said.
“The part where there’s information – anecdotally, if I have a friend who is part of a club, and they say it’s been a hard week of training and they not sure they will get up this week, then I choose to make a bet because I know something before the sportsbooks, I find that a tricky one to say whether something is wrong. It’s a slippery slope isn’t it?
“That’s a grey area. It’s information you are aware of. It’s not a player saying I’m actively trying to lose, it’s a player saying, ‘Bloody hell, my knee is sore, I don’t know if I’m going to get up’.”
Anstey said the boundaries would be pushed to their limit.
“I think human nature is that any time you put in a rule, people will wander right up to the line of it,” he said.
“If they put in a rule in AFL or whatever sport, you will try to create an advantage from it.
“Whether accidentally or deliberately, people will step over it. I’m sure we will see that.
“Do the NBA know what they are in for? We will see.”
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 game after the first quarter, with many turning to social media to say that something “shady” had happened regarding the prop bets involving his stats for that night.
The indictments contain the descriptions of several unnamed NBA players whose injury status and availability for certain games were the source of betting activity. Those players are not accused of any wrongdoing, and there is no indication that they would have even known what was being said about their status for those games.
Those players include LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard. Their identities are clear based on a review of corresponding injury reports surrounding games mentioned in the indictment. The indictments show that certain defendants shared information about the availability of those players in a game on March 24, 2023, involving the Portland Trail Blazers, and two games in 2023 and 2024 involving the Los Angeles Lakers.
The NBA had investigated Rozier previously. He was in uniform as the Heat played the Magic on Wednesday in Orlando, Florida, in the season opener for both teams, though he did not play in the game.
AP, With Roy Ward
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