Chauncey Billups has released a statement denying allegations of illegal gambling

Thursday morning, Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billupsalong with Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, was arrested by the FBI in connection with their alleged involvement in illegal gambling. Billups, who has been the Blazers’ head coach since 2021, is under investigation for his ties to an illegal mob-involved poker operation and was recently arraigned in a downtown Portland court.

Billups and his camp, however, will not take these allegations lying down. As reported by Shams Charania of ESPN, he and his lawyer will be fighting these charges as they seek to clear the Blazers head coach’s name of any wrongdoing and possible jail time.

“Anyone who knows Chauncey Billups knows that he is a man of integrity; men of integrity do not cheat or deceive others. To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal government accuses him of is to believe that he would risk his Hall of Fame legacy, his reputation and his freedom. He would not jeopardize anything, let alone Billow’s ticket,” the lawyer reads.

Furthermore, Chauncey Billups has never and would never gamble on basketball games, provide inside information, or sacrifice the trust of his team and the League, as doing so would tarnish the game he has dedicated his entire life to.

“Chauncey Billups has never given up. He has no plans to now. He will fight these charges with the same tenacity that has marked his 28-year career. We look forward to our day in court.”

The The Blazers coach is currently facing federal charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. He will be required to surrender his passport and is currently barred from any gambling activities. He will be allowed to travel to his upcoming trial on November 24 in Brooklyn, New York.

The Blazers look to move on from Chauncey Billups

The Blazers front office had faith in Billups’ ability to lead the team back to the playoffs, and for what it’s worth, they looked good on opening night despite suffering a 118-114 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

But now that Billups is facing federal charges and at risk of prison time, there appears to be little to no chance of the Blazers bringing him back even if, by some chance, he manages to avoid punishment.

After this development of the bomb, Blazers named Tiago Splitter as the team’s interim coach.