Fact Check: Have the Portland Trail Blazers fired Chauncey Billups? Shockwaves hit the NBA as the coach and team face an unexpected storm

The arrests of Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups in a broad federal gambling probe have rocked the NBA. Billups' indictment as part of a second conspiracy caught the basketball world off guard on Thursday, while Rozier's federal indictment in a gambling investigation occurred months after the NBA veteran was initially linked to the plot.

The startling revelation has sparked further worries about the league's connection to legalized gambling.

Uncertain tides swirl around Portland as leadership faces an unexpected crossroads

Now the question is, have the Trail Blazers already cut ties with their head coach? Not really. Additionally, there’s no additional information about it. The Blazers did, however, acknowledge the problem in a statement. The franchise’s statement read on X: “We are aware of the allegations involving head coach Chauncey Billups, and the Trail Blazers are fully cooperating with the investigation.

Billups has been placed on immediate leave, and Tiago Splitter will assume head coaching duties in the interim.”However, the news release also stated that the Trail Blazers currently wish to disassociate themselves from the coach and the accusations: “Any further questions should be directed to the NBA.”

Tiago Splitter has been selected as the interim head coach until the Billups investigation is concluded, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Therefore, it is a done deal for Billups here in Portland if things continue to go wrong. Two separate indictments were revealed by federal prosecutors, charging former player and LeBron James teammate Damon Jones, who was previously his personal shooting coach, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and Hall of Fame player and current Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups.“This is the insider trading saga for the NBA,” FBI director Kash Patel said at a federal courthouse in Brooklyn.About 48 hours have passed since one of the most startling off-court incidents in NBA history occurred involving the Portland Trail Blazers. Now that the nerves have subsided a little, everyone is curious about what will happen next, not just the Portland supporters. Although Chauncey Billups has been placed on indefinite leave by the team and his assistant has been named interim head coach, this is hardly a long-term solution.

There are a few possible outcomes, though.

Shadowy schemes resurface as Billups faces allegations in a tangled multi-year poker web

Billups was indicted for his alleged involvement in a broad, multi-year scheme to cheat card players in poker games, which allegedly involved several members of the Bonano, Gambino, Luchese, and Genovese crime families. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2024.According to that indictment, he was allegedly involved in the rigged poker game scam as early as 2019. Prosecutors claim he participated in a game that year that stole at least $50,000 from victims.

In both indictments, Eric Earnest was accused of participating in the game's rigging.

Billups was not named in Rozier's sports betting-related indictment. However, prosecutors claim that Earnest was informed by Co-Conspirator 8 that the Blazers would be resting their best players before their game on March 24, 2023, and he does fit that description. Prosecutors say the co-conspirator, who lives in Oregon, was an NBA player from 1997 to 2014 and has been a coach since 2021.

The Blazers signed Billups as their head coach in June 2021. Billups was an NBA player from 1997 until 2014.According to that accusation, Rozier intentionally left a game in 2023 so that a fellow conspirator could wager and win. These accusations are related to the continuing investigation that resulted in former Raptors player Jontay Porter entering a guilty plea. Porter influenced his own performance and placed bets on NBA games in order to help co-conspirators profit from prop bets. In July 2024, Porter entered a guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.Also read: Terry Rozier net worth: Miami Heat player's NBA journey takes an unexpected turn as he finds himself at the center of a gambling storm