By MAX WINTERS, US DEPUTY SPORTS EDITOR
Published: 10:07 EST, 15 January 2026 | Updated: 10:19 EST, 15 January 2026
Former Chicago Bulls star Antonio Blakeney is among a group of 17 basketball players that have been charged in connection with rigging college basketball and Chinese Basketball Association games.
It comes after an indictment was unsealed in Philadelphia. Federal officials are due to announce the charges later on Thursday.
Back in October a gambling scandal that led to the arrests of Miami guard Terry Rozier, Portland coach Chauncey Billups and others rocked the NBA.
Rozier pleaded not guilty in December to wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges stemming from accusations that he helped some friends win bets that revolved around his statistical performance in a game played in March 2023, when he was with Charlotte.
Rozier is free on $3million bond and isn´t expected back in court until March, and he remains on unpaid leave from the Heat.
Prosecutors say Rozier informed the bettors that he intended to leave the game against the New Orleans Pelicans early with a supposed injury, allowing gamblers to place wagers earning them tens of thousands of dollars.
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 and was subsequently traded to the Heat.
Billups also pleaded not guilty in November to charges related to a separate scheme to fix high-stakes, Mafia-backed poker games.
Rozier, Billups and former NBA guard Damon Jones were among more than 30 people - including several Mafia figures - arrested as part of a sprawling federal takedown of illegal gambling operations linked to pro sports.
More to follow.
Former Bulls star Antonio Blakeney is among a group of 17 basketball players that have been charged in connection with rigging college basketball and Chinese Basketball Association games