Chauncey Billups: $35 Million Net Worth | Mafia-Linked Gambling Scandal

Chauncey Billups: $35 Million Net Worth | Mafia-Linked Gambling Scandal

Chauncey Billups, the Portland Trail Blazers head coach who earned over $107 million in career salaries, maintains an estimated net worth of $35 million as of late 2025. This significant fortune is now overshadowed by his federal arrest for wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy. The charges stem from his alleged role as a "face card" in a Mafia-backed operation that used sophisticated technology to rig high-stakes poker games, defrauding victims of over $7 million.

Chauncey Billups From $100 Million Career to $35 Million Net Worth

Chauncey Billups earned a remarkable fortune over his storied 17-year NBA playing career, which culminated in a 2004 NBA Championship and Finals MVP award. His total career earnings from player contracts alone topped $107 million.

Upon retiring, Billups smoothly transitioned into coaching, signing a lucrative five-year contract as the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers in 2021. Despite this career continuity, his current estimated net worth stands at approximately $35 million, a figure that reflects his substantial spending, investments, and the general financial volatility that can affect professional athletes.

This significant wealth did not, however, make him immune to the allure of illegal gambling.

The Scandal: 'Face Card' in a Mafia-Backed Rigged Poker Scheme

Portland Trail Blazers Head Coach and NBA Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups was arrested by the FBI on Thursday, immediately following his team’s season opener, in a massive federal crackdown on illegal gambling that has shocked the sports world.

Billups, 49, stands accused of participating in "Operation Royal Flush," a sprawling criminal enterprise run by associates of four of New York’s notorious La Cosa Nostra (Mafia) crime families, including the Gambino and Genovese syndicates. The scheme involved running rigged poker games across the U.S., which swindled victims out of more than $7.1 million.

Federal prosecutors allege that Billups and former NBA player Damon Jones were used as "face cards" to add legitimacy to the crooked games, which took place in cities like Las Vegas, Miami, and the Hamptons. The games were allegedly fixed using sophisticated technology, including tampered shuffling machines, hidden cameras, and X-ray equipment built into the tables to read the opponents' cards. The indictment states that Billups "received a portion of the criminal proceeds" for his participation.

The Other Shoe: Implicated in Insider Sports Betting

While Billups is formally charged only in the poker rigging case, federal filings strongly implicate him as a co-conspirator in a separate scheme, dubbed "Operation Nothing But Bet," which focused on exploiting NBA insider information.

Billups, described in the filings as an "Oregon resident who was an NBA player from about 1997 to 2014 and a coach since at least 2021," allegedly told a co-defendant that the Trail Blazers were "going to be tanking" to secure a better draft pick, and that several key players would be sitting out an upcoming game. This non-public information was then allegedly used to place massive, fraudulent wagers against the team.

Also arrested in the sports betting scheme was current Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, who is accused of providing insider information, including details about a game where he left early with a supposed injury, allowing bettors to profit over $200,000 on prop bets predicting his underperformance.

The Next Steps: Prison, Bail, and an NBA Ban

The gravity of the situation has cast a cloud over the NBA season, raising three immediate questions for the future of the Hall of Famer:

Immediate Court Battle: Bail and Legal Jeopardy

Billups was arrested in Portland and will be arraigned there before facing the two felony charges of money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy in New York. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.

While prosecutors are seeking to detain the Mafia ringleaders, they have indicated they will not oppose releasing Billups on bail, but with "substantial bail conditions." These conditions are expected to include a strict prohibition on all forms of gambling and severe travel restrictions, reflecting the federal government's view of him as a major financial risk.

The Widening Net: More Arrests Expected

FBI Director Kash Patel called the fraud "mind-boggling" and emphasized that the investigation is ongoing. The indictment states that the sports betting scheme involved nine unnamed co-conspirators with NBA connections, suggesting this is a multi-layered criminal network and that more current or former players and coaches are likely to be indicted as the case proceeds.

NBA Future: A Lifetime Ban is Imminent

The NBA has placed Billups on "immediate leave." However, given the league's zero-tolerance policy on gambling and the recent precedent set by the lifetime ban of Jontay Porter in 2024 for a far less severe offense, sports law experts agree that a lifetime ban from the National Basketball Association is an almost certain outcome for Billups.

This scandal represents a catastrophic end to the career of a celebrated champion and is a landmark moment in the intersection of organized crime and professional sports, exposing the vulnerability of the league to insider threats.

Chauncey Billups Fact File

Chauncey Billups: FAQs on His Career and Recent Legal Issues

What are the specific federal charges against Chauncey Billups?

Chauncey Billups has been charged with money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy. These charges stem from a separate scheme involving rigged high-stakes underground poker games, which were allegedly backed by Mafia crime families.

Authorities allege that Billups and former NBA player Damon Jones were used as "face cards" to lure wealthy, unsuspecting victims into the games, which were fixed using sophisticated cheating technology like tampered shuffling machines and X-ray tables.

What is Chauncey Billups' current employment status with the Portland Trail Blazers?

Following his arrest, the NBA and the Portland Trail Blazers placed Chauncey Billups on immediate administrative leave. The team quickly appointed assistant coach Tiago Splitter as the interim Head Coach for the remainder of the 2025-2026 season.

Was Chauncey Billups also involved in the NBA sports betting scheme that implicated Terry Rozier?

Chauncey Billups was charged only in the rigged poker scheme, not the illegal sports betting scheme that led to the arrest of Miami Heat player Terry Rozier.

However, an un-named "co-conspirator" in the sports betting indictment—whose description matches Billups' playing and coaching history—is alleged to have supplied non-public information about the Trail Blazers' intention to "tank" a March 2023 game and the players who would be sitting out. This information was then allegedly used to place bets against the team. Billups has not been formally charged in this specific scheme.

WATCH NOW: Chauncey Billups' 2004 NBA Finals MVP Highlights ➡️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAUflckHN4Y