The recently discovered NBA gambling ring headed by Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups is truly asinine.
It’s incredibly disrespectful that these figures, who are supposed to be uplifting the game of basketball as such high-level players and coaches, have instead dragged down the NBA, their respective teams and basketball as a whole with this level of greed and moral impurity.
At the end of October, shocking news broke to the public that head coach Billups and point and shooting guard Rozier had both been tied to illegal gambling dealings. Their situations differ, as Rozier was directly impacting NBA games on a nightly basis with intentionally poor performance, while Billups fell into a much deeper and darker hole.
In Rozier’s case, accusations have been around for years, but in July, ESPN first reported suspicious activity involving Rozier in sportsbooks. On March 23, 2023, a bettor placed nearly $14,000 at a sportsbook in Biloxi, Mississippi. Maybe the bettor was just in over his head and feeling lucky that day, right? Wrong. Every single dollar was placed on the “under” for Rozier’s statistics props in that night’s game.
Thirty wagers were placed in a matter of under one hour, meaning the writing was on the wall from the very beginning. Rozier was not listed on any injury report; he was fully healthy heading into that night’s game.
Still, he finished with five points, four rebounds and two assists, a very poor performance. Those numbers cashed the under on every single prop bet placed that day in Mississippi, and Rozier even left the game early with a phantom injury.
As a professional athlete and as a human being, these actions are embarrassing and will taint Rozier’s legacy and character forever.
Of course, Rozier took cuts of the money that was won, which to me is the most mind-boggling and unjust aspect of this whole case. He already earns millions of dollars yearly via his NBA contract; the level of greed displayed by his actions is truly disgusting.
The Chauncey Billups case is a bit different, but very dark and morally wrong. He was involved in allegedly rigging high-profile poker games tied to the Italian Mafia.
Billups, with his status as a former NBA star turned coach, was used as the calling card for players to come and buy into poker games with such a well-known name.
However, these players would be cheated nightly by the use of technology such as rigged shuffling machines and X-rays that could see cards even while they were face down on the table. In turn, Billups would be the biggest winner in nearly every game, and the FBI believes these activities are tied to the Italian Mafia, La Cosa Nostra.
Purposefully throwing NBA games and using inside information to fleece innocent people and betting markets out of hundreds of thousands of dollars is just the tip of the iceberg. Between both Rozier and Billups, this was an over a year-long investigation involving four Mafia families and several organized crime networks.
On Oct. 23, 2025, Rozier and Billups were both arrested on charges of wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy. While their situations differ in several aspects, both of these highly touted figures were incredibly wrong in their activities. They have currently been put on “leave” from their teams, but neither of them deserves to ever be reinstated into the NBA.
For college athletes, Ohio University sports teams included, betting on games or providing inside information to bettors about their own or other collegiate sports is strictly prohibited.
The NCAA will jump directly to stripping players of their eligibility if they are found betting on games, whether said bets are for their own teams or others. The NBA should follow suit and terminate Rozier and Billups of their rights to be part of such a prestigious league.
The actions displayed by Rozier, Billups and all others involved in these illegal dealings are morally wrong, and there is no excuse. Both have abused their platforms and disrespected players, teammates, supportive fans and the league that gave them their dream careers. The NBA should never tolerate this or reinstate either of the two.
Jack Muldowney is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Jack Muldowney about their column? Email/tweet them at jm760224@ohio.edu or @JackMuldowney1.
