Jrue Holiday’s ‘shocked’ reaction to Chauncey Billups’ arrest
The The Portland Trail Blazers organization continues to recover from the shock that followed from their head coach Chauncey Billups arrested by the FBI for alleged activity in fixed poker games. Billups was one of the three NBA figures were publicly revealed to have been arrested as part of a wide-ranging investigation involving both poker games and the illegal sale of NBA betting information, a scandal that shook the league to its core.
Recently, the newly acquired Blazers guard Jrue Holiday spoke further his initial reaction on the news.
“Honestly, we were shocked,” Holiday said, per ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
Holiday also talked about the respect he personally has for Billups, given how Billups helped him land the Boston Celtics when Holiday was first traded to the Blazers from the Milwaukee Bucks in 2023.
“Chauncey was really solid for me when I was first traded here, just being able to see things through my lens and ask me what I want,” Holliday said. “Not many coaches would do that. But he understood because he was also a player in this league.”
“We talked all the time,” Holliday added. “A little basketball. A lot of life.”
A shocking scandal for the Blazers
Meanwhile, the Blazers have moved forward without Billups on the sidelines, currently sitting at 3-2 after a recent close win over the Utah Jazz. Many expect the Blazers to take a step forward next year, thanks to the addition of Holiday, as well as the expected growth of young players like Shaddon Sharpe and Tumani Kamara.
Still, the Billups saga has clearly cast a bit of a cloud over the franchise for now, as the team tries to figure out if they’ll ever get their head coach back. Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier are currently on leave, which the NBA announced earlier this week would be unpaid.
The Blazers will next take the floor on Friday night against the Denver Nuggets.
2025-10-30 16:02:00
