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Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier have been arrested in connection with a federal investigation into sports betting and illegal gambling, law enforcement officials announced Thursday.
The charges against Rozier and Billups are not yet known.
The NBA had no immediate comment. The league previously investigated Rozier and is currently investigating the actions of former Detroit player Malik Beasley, a person who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press.
Rozier was in uniform when the Heat faced the Magic in Florida in the teams’ season opener on Wednesday night, but did not play in the game.
He was taken into custody in Orlando early Thursday. The team did not immediately comment on the arrest.
A message was left Thursday with Rosier’s attorney, Jim Trusty. Trusty previously told sports network ESPN that Rozier met with NBA and FBI officials in 2023 and was told that an initial investigation found he had done nothing wrong.
A message seeking comment was left with Billups Thursday morning.
FBI Director Kash Patel and other law enforcement officials are expected to provide further information at a news conference later Thursday.
The case was brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, which previously prosecuted former NBA player Jontay Porter.
The former Toronto Raptors center has pleaded guilty to charges of withdrawing from games early, claiming illness or injury, in order to win large sums of money by betting on a performance that fell short of expectations by those with knowledge of the situation.
Billups was inducted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame last year. A five-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA selection, the point guard led the Detroit Pistons to their third league championship in 2004 as NBA Finals MVP.
Boston selected the former Colorado star with the third overall pick in 1997. Billups, known as Mr. Big Shot, also played for Toronto, Denver, Minnesota, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers.
Billups won the NBA’s sportsmanship award, the Joe Dumars Trophy, in 2009 while playing for his hometown team, the Denver Nuggets.
Additional sources of information • AP