Pablo Torre links Kevin Garnett to a poker scandal
Former head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers and NBA Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups was arrested Thursday for his alleged involvement in a scandal that lured victims into playing rigged poker games. On Friday, former ESPN analyst-turned-independent reporter Pablo Torre claimed that the former NBA star Kevin Garnett may have been involved as well.
Torre reports that numerous professional athletes have played in these private poker events. However, it is not known whether they are allegedly involved in the scandal or whether they are victims themselves. Either way, Torre claims his sources told him it was Garnett was one of the professional athletes who played in one of the rigged games. The alleged incident happened back in 2019.
“UPDATE: A number of former professional athletes played in private poker games organized by those charged by the DOJ in ‘Operation Royal Flush.'” One of them — according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the 2019 game — was Kevin Garnett.
This report does not allege that the 2008 NBA champion helped Billups with the alleged rigging. It only states that Garnett may have attended one of the poker games. Additionally, Pablo Torre says that “a number of former professional athletes have played in private poker games.” So that suggests that other names that are in the same boat as Kevin Garnett could be announced in the coming days.
The FBI is said to have arrested over 30 people, nearly half of whom are allegedly linked to the Italian mafia. Garnett was not one of the people arrested Thursday. Shams Charania of ESPN claimed that An investigation into the NBA poker scandal it can last between six and 12 months. Therefore, we should expect more information to come to light in 2026.
2025-10-24 17:59:00
