Terry Rozier
FILE – Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier (2) looks up court during the last seconds of the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls, Saturday, March 8, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier, File)
The sports world erupted Thursday in response to the bombshell report about an NBA player and coach being arrested by the FBI in connection to illegal gambling.
Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were taken into custody by federal law enforcement on Thursday morning. Rozier’s arrest stems from suspicious betting activity during a game he played in March 2023, and Billups’s arrest was due to his alleged role in an illegal poker operation with ties to the Mafia.
Shortly after news of their arrests, it was also announced that former NBA player Damon Jones was also charged and arrested. Jones last played in 2009.
BREAKING | NBC News: Former NBA player Damon Jones has also been arrested by the FBI in connection with the charges being announced today — no indication he is tied to bets on games he played — according to two people familiar with the matter.
Reported w/ @jonathan4ny
— Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) October 23, 2025
There have been a number of incidents involving sports betting across the major pro leagues in recent years. The NFL suspended a handful of players for betting on games in 2023, the NBA issued a lifetime ban to Jontay Porter for placing bets tied to his own performance; the MLB banned former San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano for betting on “hundreds” of games; and the NHL handed down a half-season suspension to Ottawa Senators center Shane Pinto for violating the league’s gambling policy.
Thursday’s news, however, was unquestionably the biggest scandal to date in this new era of widespread, legal sports betting. Countless people were stunned to hear that actual arrests were made.
Holy shit… The gambling arrests in the NBA right now are CRAAAAAAZY
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 23, 2025
An active coach in the NBA who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024 was arrested today as part of a widespread gambling investigation that also has seen at least one player taken into custody. https://t.co/l6pFmETbNk
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 23, 2025
obviously awful for Billups, but huge sigh of relief for league. A coach involved w/ sports betting woulda been catastrophic https://t.co/bvwhw9CUNa
— Chris Vernon (@ChrisVernonShow) October 23, 2025
Others were quick to joke about the sports industry’s ties to gambling companies, a partnership that many feared could compromise the integrity of the games.
The NBA is very concerned about the multiple arrests made as a result of the FBI’s sports gambling code.
Use code “MULTIPLEARRESTS” for a 30% Profit Boost on a three-leg parlay with Draft Kings, the official gambling partner of the NBA. pic.twitter.com/kXbXLJB439
— Mike Beauvais (@MikeBeauvais) October 23, 2025
FBI Director Kash Patel was scheduled to hold a press conference on the arrests at 10 a.m..