Chauncey Billups
John Hefti-Imagn Images
Chauncey Billups earned nearly $107 million across his 17-year NBA career. The Portland Trail Blazers paid him an estimated $4.7 million as their head coach for the 2024-25 season.
So how, and why, did Billups get caught up in an illegal sports gambling and poker scheme allegedly tied to members of the mob?
According to Michael Franzese, a former member of the Colombo crime family who headed up an illegal sports betting operation, it shouldn’t be a surprise. And it’s not difficult to understand.
Mob Boss Claims Chauncey Billups’ Comeptitve Drive Led Him To Gambling Ring
“You gotta understand with athletes, gambling is an extension of their competitiveness,” Franzese said on his YouTube channel. “They raise the stakes when they gamble. And this is what happens. Many of them get in trouble. Whether they are in the pros or in college, but it’s happening and it will continue to happen.”
Franzese then pointed to Michael Jordan’s illustrious love of gambling and how it’s an extension of his intense competitive drive.
What’s more concerning for the NBA, and for every other professional sports league, is the fact that Franzese doesn’t think the FBI’s current investigation will stop the mob from continuing its illegal gambling processes.
“They will never go away. Gambling will always be a major business of Cosa Nostra. It’s just how it is,’ he stated. “It is very attractive, it’s very lucrative. Guys love to gamble and they love to make money while gambling. Are the sports leagues going to be targeted? Of course! Because they know athletes are easy prey in many cases … Athletes are easy prey, they get themselves in trouble. They owe a debt, and they gotta do whatever they gotta do to get out of it.”
Billups’ lawyer, Chris Heywood, released a statement on Thursday evening proclaiming his innocence.
“Anyone who knows Chauncey Billups knows he is a man of integrity; men of integrity do not cheat and defraud others,” Heywood said. “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 jeopardize those things for anything, let alone a card game.
“Furthermore, Chauncey Billups has never and would never gamble on basketball games, provide insider information, or sacrifice the trust of his team and the League, as it would tarnish the game he has devoted his entire life to.”
Time will tell whether or not the legal system agrees with Heywood’s assessment of the situation. But for the time being, Billups finds himself between a rock and a very, very hard place.