Chauncey Billups Linked to Alleged Leak of Plan to Intentionally Lose 2023 NBA Game, Indictment Suggests

Portland Trail Blazers Head Coach Chauncey Billups appears to be the unnamed “Co-Conspirator 8” identified in a federal indictment as the person who informed another man that the team planned to intentionally lose a 2023 game against the Chicago Bulls to improve its draft position. Billups, however, is not charged in the sports betting case but faces separate federal charges related to an alleged poker cheating scheme.

The indictment, unsealed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, New York, alleges that an unidentified individual, described as a former NBA player and current coach matching Billups’ career timeline, told another man that the Trail Blazers intended to “tank” a March 24, 2023, game. The Portland team, then out of playoff contention, went on to lose 124–96 after its four top scorers did not play.

According to prosecutors, the man who received the tip, identified as defendant Eric Earnest, shared the information with another man, Marves Fairley. Fairley and others allegedly placed bets totaling about $100,000 on the Trail Blazers to lose before the players’ absences became public. After the information was released, betting odds and point spreads reportedly shifted significantly.

A basketball in a hoop | Source: Pexels

The indictment states that Earnest and Fairley agreed to split any profits, with Earnest promised $5,000 if the wager succeeded. The Trail Blazers’ defeat fulfilled the bet, and the team finished the 2022–23 season with a record of 33–49, ultimately earning the third pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, which was used to select guard Scoot Henderson.

Billups, who played in the NBA from 1997 to 2014 and became Portland’s head coach in 2021, was not named in the sports betting indictment but was arrested Thursday in Portland in connection with a separate federal case in Brooklyn. That case accuses him of conspiring with alleged Mafia associates to defraud poker players out of millions of dollars using cheating devices.

He has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering in the poker-related case and was placed on immediate leave by the NBA following his arrest.

In the sports betting indictment, “Co-Conspirator 8” is described as “a resident of Oregon” who “was an NBA player from approximately 1997 through 2014, and an NBA coach since at least 2021.” These details align with Billups’ professional background.

A basketball player about to score | Source: Pexels

Billups’ attorney, Chris Heywood, denied the allegations that the coach provided insider information or participated in any gambling-related misconduct. “Chauncey Billups has never and would never gamble on basketball games, provide insider information, or sacrifice the trust of his team and the League, as it would tarnish the game he has devoted his entire life to,” Heywood told NBC News.

Responding to the separate poker indictment, Heywood stated Thursday, “Anyone who knows Chauncey Billups knows he is a man of integrity; men of integrity do not cheat and defraud others. To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal government is accusing him of is to believe that he would risk his hall-of-fame legacy, his reputation, and his freedom. He would not jeopardize those things for anything, let alone a card game.”

Earnest and Shane Hennen, who are also charged in the betting case, face additional charges alongside Billups and Jones in the poker-related indictment. Lawyers for Fairley and Earnest were not listed in public court filings, and CNBC reported that it was awaiting responses from representatives for Billups and Hennen.