Chauncey Billups’ coaching career with the Portland Trail Blazers began with his controversial hiring. His tenure included the loss of a beloved superstar, historical levels of losing and now a potential exit amidst the cloud of federal charges.
Billups, arrested Thursday for allegedly participating in rigged poker games, was placed on leave by the Blazers and the NBA. Assistant coach Tiago Splitter was named interim head coach.
During his first four seasons, the Blazers went 117-211, the worst four-year record since the first four years of the franchise’s existence from 1970-1974.
This season began with hope that the tide could be returning with the improvement of young players and the pending return of Damian Lillard, who will miss this season while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon.
Now Billups’ future with the franchise is in doubt. Should his career with the Blazers come to a halt because of the pending case against him, it would go down as arguably the most ominous coaching tenure in franchise history.
. . .
Chauncey Billups timeline
June 4, 2021: Then Blazers president Neil Olshey and coach Terry Stotts agreed to a mutual parting of ways after nine seasons and eight consecutive playoff appearances.
Summer 2021: For the first time, Lillard indicates that he could see a scenario where he leaves the Blazers should they not make the roster moves necessary to build a contender.
Following Stotts’ firing, Lillard lists Billups as someone he would like to play for.
Billups’ only coaching experience to that point came the previous season as an assistant under coach Tyronn Lue with the LA Clippers.
June 29, 2021: Blazers introduced Billups as their new head coach, signing him to a four-year contract with a fifth-year team option.
Billups called the opportunity his “dream job” and expressed excitement over coaching Lillard and CJ McCollum.
Olshey and Billups had a prior relationship going back to when the point guard played for the Los Angeles Clippers during the 2011-12 season, when Olshey worked as an assistant general manager.
Olshey took over as the Blazers’ general manager in 2012.
Billups’ hire was met with controversy stemming from a rape allegation against Billups in 1997 during his rookie season with the Boston Celtics.
Billups had maintained his innocence for decades. The prosecutor who oversaw the case told The Oregonian/OregonLive that he and his office had cleared Billups of any wrongdoing, which is why he was never charged or prosecuted.
August 2021: During NBA summer league, Billups states that he fully expects Lillard to remain with the franchise. Lillard ultimately does not demand a trade and instead embraces the opportunity to play for Billups.
2021-22 season: Billups’ first season began poorly.
Lillard got off to the worst start of his career. Through the first 18 games, Lillard shot 39.7% from the field and 30.2% from three-point range while dealing with a core muscle injury.
The Blazers ground through his struggles to reach 10-8 before the bottom fell out.
McCollum suffered a collapsed lung and missed nearly two months. Lillard continued to struggle before being shut down for the season to undergo core muscle surgery.
On Dec. 3, Olshey was fired after a workplace misconduct investigation. Joe Cronin took over as interim general manager.
With Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic leading the way from Jan. 3 on, the Blazers experienced a 7-4 stretch that raised hopes. They won four in a row before the February All-Star break.
However, soon after, a blatant tanking effort began. The Blazers ended the season 27-55 and, along the way, traded McCollum to New Orleans for Josh Hart, a pick and a trade exception. They also sent Robert Covington and Norman Powell to the LA Clippers.
Offseason 2022: The Blazers drafted guard Shaedon Sharpe with the No. 7 pick and acquired forward Jerami Grant from the Detroit Pistons.
Grant and Lillard had a close relationship, and adding the 6-8 forward appeared to be a positive step toward building a winner around Lillard.
That summer, Lillard signed a two-year, $122 million contract extension. He stated that he wanted to remain in Portland and contend for a championship, and believed that Billups and Cronin could help make that happen.
2022-23 season: The Blazers entered the season hopeful they could return to the postseason with Grant and a healthy Lillard.
Portland started the season 9-3, but injuries began to hit.
The Blazers fell to 11-11. Later, back-to-back losses at Oklahoma City on Dec. 19, the night Lillard became the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, and Dec. 21, left the Blazers at 17-15.
The injuries continued to mount. Jusuf Nurkic, Grant and Simons all missed time. By March, the Blazers pulled the plug on the season, tanked and ended up 33-49.
Cronin convinced Lillard to give up on chasing a play-in spot in hopes of securing a high draft pick.
Offseason 2023: The Blazers landed the No. 3 pick during the NBA lottery. Cronin indicated that he would use the pick to acquire talent to help Lillard.
Lillard, who expected Cronin to make aggressive moves, instead exited, saying that he had no interest in playing with young players.
Lillard clearly expected the No. 3 pick to be traded.
Billups was also adamant that the team must add more veterans and size. He also hoped to see the No. 3 pick traded.
It was not.
The Blazers selected Scoot Henderson with the pick. Days later, Lillard demanded a trade, setting off a summer of turmoil.
Billups hoped to see the team make moves with or without Lillard, that would lead to more victories after going 60-104 during his first two seasons.
Days before training camp, the Blazers traded Lillard to Milwaukee in a three-team deal that brought center Deandre Ayton and forward Toumani Camara to Portland from Phoenix.
2023-24 season: Despite selling a positive offseason that included re-signing Grant and Matisse Thybulle, drafting Henderson and trading for Ayton, Billups and Cronin entered the season expecting to see massive growing pains.
The disjointed roster suffered numerous injuries resulting in 370 combined player games missed.
The Blazers went 21-61, losing 60 games for only the fourth time in franchise history.
Upon season’s end, Billups had one guaranteed year remaining on his original contract and was not offered an extension.
Offseason 2024: The Blazers drafted center Donovan Clingan out of Connecticut with the No. 7 pick in the 2024 draft, and traded Malcolm Brogdon and two picks to Washington for forward Deni Avdija.
Still, the Blazers once again appeared headed for a losing season.
But this time, Billups was coaching for his career.
September 2024: Billups, a former NBA All-Star who led the Detroit Pistons to the 2004 NBA championship, was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Chauncey Billups
Chauncey Billups speaks during his enshrinement in the Basketball Hall of Fame, Sunday Oct. 13, 2024, in Springfield, Mass. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill) APAP
2024-25 season: The Blazers entered the season with management expecting to be in the running to select Duke freshman forward Cooper Flagg.
That appeared to be in the cards when the Blazers stood at 13-28 on Jan. 18, 2025, after losing five consecutive games and eight of their last 10.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the Blazers turned their season around by winning 10 of their next 11 games to move to within striking distance of earning a play-in berth.
Billups said that before the streak, Cronin told him that their backs were against the wall with franchise chair Jody Allen and that they had to show improvement.
Billups made roster and scheme adjustments to help the defense, and the Blazers began winning. However, they fell short of reaching the postseason.
The Blazers finished 36-46 after going 23-18 in the second half of the season.
That turnaround led to Allen signing Billups and Cronin to contract extensions by the end of the season.
The Blazers picked up Billups’ fifth-year option worth $4.7 million and tacked on two additional seasons with an undisclosed pay raise.
2025 offseason: The Blazers drafted center Yang Hansen out of China and bought out center Deandre Ayton, who signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Blazers also traded Simons to Boston for guard Jrue Holiday, giving Billups a veteran point guard with elite defensive skills.
Portland then shocked many by bringing back Lillard, who during the 2025 playoffs suffered an Achilles tear.
Armed with a new contract and two veteran point guards to work with, Billups appeared excited to have a chance to win in Portland.
The Blazers opened the season with a 118-114 loss at home to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“We’re going to be playing against some powerhouses from the very beginning,” Billups said. “Teams with actually championship aspirations and goals. And they are actually contenders. So we’ve got to be realistic about it, as well, and know that I want us to get better and keep taking steps. And we will. But, like, we’re not a championship team right now. I don’t want us to get crazy here. We’ve got to be honest with it.”
Portland Trail Blazers media day
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups speaks with reporters during media day at Moda Center in Portland on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025.Sean Meagher/The Oregonian
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.