Tyronn Lue is the latest NBA player to be linked to a poker-fixing scandal

The Los Angeles Clippers aiming to start fresh after a disappointing 2024-25 season. However, reports linking the head coach Tyronn Lue the gambling scandal sweeping the NBA quickly derailed that plan. It is also possible involved and retired star Kevin Garnett.

In October 2025, federal authorities uncovered a nationwide operation that ran an insider sports betting and mob-backed poker network. This allegedly used high-tech cheating methods to defraud victims. They arrested the coach of the Portland Trail Blazers Chauncey BillupsMiami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former coach Damon Jones. This rocked the league and exposed its growing ties to the gambling world. The revelations have raised pressing questions about the NBA’s integrity. Now it seems that these too have reached the doorstep of the Clippers.

If investigators confirm the allegations, Lue could be part of the network. Investigative journalist Pablo Torre announced that Lue was in attendance rigged poker game in Las Vegas in April 2019. It is allegedly linked to the same mob-run operation at the center of a federal investigation.

Although reports put Lue at a different table than Billups and no one has accused him of criminal activity, his presence has fueled speculation and criticism. For the NBA champion, respected leader and constant fixture of the Clippers, the optics are troubling — and they put his judgment under a brighter spotlight than ever.

Lue’s name coming up in this scandal couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Clippers. After another season marred by injuries and inconsistency, the franchise is relying on stability to reignite its title hopes. However, the association with a national gambling investigation threatens to become an unwanted distraction.

To his credit, Lue briefly addressed the issue, expressing his loyalty to Billups while emphasizing his disappointment in the allegations. Still, critics say the statement sidesteps how someone of his stature ended up in the same room where federal agents now say organized crime ran a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme. It’s a fair question that speaks not only to personal judgment but also to the NBA’s broader vulnerability in this era of sports gambling.

For now, coach Tyronn Lue remains unburdened and firmly in command of the Clippers. Yet in a league that is desperately trying to win back the public trust after the Billups scandaleven a whiff of controversy carries weight. Whether this rumor fades or festers may depend less on legal outcomes and more on how the Clippers perform under the glare of the scandal.