Player Terry Rozier, former player Damon Jones, and coach Chauncey Billups were arrested Thursday on suspicion of participating in a massive betting-fixing scheme that cast a shadow over the integrity of several NBA games.

"The defendants used professional basketball as a base for a criminal betting operation, using inside information from the locker room, including medical information, to enrich themselves at the expense of legitimate betting companies," summarized Joseph Nocella, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

- Terry Rozier -

Drafted 16th overall by the Boston Celtics in 2015, Terry Rozier (31) played for the Charlotte Hornets from 2019 to 2024 before joining the Miami Heat.

According to the indictment, Rozier allegedly participated in the fixing of at least one match.

On March 23, 2023, he warned his friend Deniro Laster, one of the co-conspirators, that he planned to fake an injury against the New Orleans Pelicans.

Laster sold the information to several people, with total bets of $200,000 on Rozier underperforming that evening.

Rozier, the starting point guard, leaves the court after nine minutes of play, generating tens of thousands of dollars in winnings. That same evening, Lester goes to Rozier's home to count the loot.

In January 2025, the NBA said it had been investigating "unusual betting" related to Rozier since 2023, but found "no rule violations."

- Chauncey Billups -

A star of the Detroit Pistons, crowned champion in 2024 by being named MVP of the finals, five-time All-Star Chauncey Billups (49 years old) ended his playing career in 2014 before becoming head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers since 2021.

Billups was arrested Thursday - along with about 30 others - for his alleged involvement in a nationwide poker-fixing ring linked to the Sicilian mafia Cosa Nostra.

Although his name does not appear in the indictment for the fixed bets, the profile of the "co-conspirator 8" cited corresponds to him in every way: player from 1997 to 2014, coach since 2021, living in Oregon.

On March 24, 2023, "co-conspirator 8" transmitted the information that several major Portland players would not play in the match against the Chicago Bulls, an indiscretion resold and shared within the network for bets of $100,000 on a Trail Blazers defeat, which came true (124-96).

- Damon Jones, close to LeBron James -

Undrafted, Damon Jones (49 years old) nevertheless joined the NBA for a discreet career where he played for eleven different clubs, notably the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005 to 2008, where he was a teammate of the young star LeBron James.

Jones then became an assistant coach, working for the Cavaliers again from 2016 to 2018, during James' second stint in Ohio (2014-2018). During the 2022-2023 season, he served as a personal trainer for LeBron James, without being employed by the Los Angeles Lakers, the "King's" new team.

Thanks to his privileged connection to the Lakers' locker room, Jones is selling, or attempting to sell, information on players' health status from 2022 to 2024 before it is made public in the daily "medical report."

On February 9, Jones advised co-conspirators to bet on Milwaukee against the Los Angeles Lakers. Hours later, LeBron James forfeited the game, and the Lakers were defeated.

On January 15, 2024, Jones sold information for $2,500 that a key Lakers player, other than LeBron James, was impaired.

But the player in question ultimately played the match and performed well, costing the network tens of thousands of dollars in bets. Jones was pressured by an associate to repay the $2,500.

- Jontay Porter -

Thursday's dramatic arrests come months after the NBA banned Jontay Porter for life after he pleaded guilty in July to fixing several games while playing for the Toronto Raptors.

This modest former player sent his information to the same group of bettors, linked to all the suspicious matches in the investigation.

Porter explained that he became involved in fraud to pay off large gambling debts.

The indictment also cites an Orlando game on April 6, 2023, for which one of the network members allegedly received important information about several forfeitures from a source within the locker room.