Odds Suggest Lifetime Bans for Billups and Rozier; Was Garnett Involved?

• Portland head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami guard Terry Rozier were arrested on Thursday, October 23, in a major NBA gambling investigation.
• Former Toronto forward Jontay Porter received a lifetime ban for his role in the gambling investigation involving Rozier and former player/coach Damon Jones
• Odds are suggesting that the same fate awaits Billups and Rozier, while Kevin Garnett may have present at an illegal poker game.

Following yesterday’s bombshell news involving the arrests of Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier, the odds are proposing that they’ll be banned for life from the NBA, as has former player Jontay Porter.

More news was released today that former player Kevin Garnett may have present at one of Billups’ poker games.

Odds Lean Heavily Towards Lifetime Bans for Billups and Rozier

As soon as the news of Billups’ arrest was released yesterday, speculation started about a ban from the NBA.

BetUS has released a betting market for whether Billups and Rozier would be banned from the NBA for life, and the odds are overwhelmingly leaning towards “Yes”, which is priced at -2000. Expect to see more markets like this at NBA betting sites. Billups was arraigned and released yesterday. But yesterday, it was just illegal poker games. Now, Billups allegedly purposely didn’t play his best players in a March 2023 game as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. He allegedly then told bettors about this plan, and they used that to make bets.

The precedent for this was set as Porter was banned for life by the NBA for his role in the same investigation that has accused Rozier and former NBA player/coach Damon Jones of wrongdoing.

It also calls into question, Billups’ spot in the Hall of Fame. He was the leader and Finals MVP of an underdog Detroit team that defeated Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals. Billups also won gold for the United States at the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship, and the 2010 FIBA World Championship. He entered the Hall of Fame in 2024.

Now, there is a good chance that Billups’ career is over in the NBA, and his Hall of Fame status will be revoked. Furthermore, given the severity of the charges and possibly, more charges to come, jail time is on the table for the five-time All-Star. Rozier is also in danger of an NBA ban and, potentially, worse.

Another former NBA player’s name was brought into this situation on Friday morning.

Kevin Garnett May Have Been Present at One of the Illegal Poker Games

Journalist Pablo Torre, who is also the driving force behind the Kawhi Leonard/Aspiration scandal with the Los Angeles Clippers, put forth Kevin Garnett’s name.

Torre claims that Garnett at least attended one of the private poker games Billups is accused of being involved in back in 2019. There aren’t any accusations being levied towards Garnett, apart from that he is present at this game. “The Big Ticket” was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020, was a 15-time All-Star, was an MVP in 2004, and won the title in Boston in 2008.

However, Billups has been in the NBA as a player or coach since 1997, two years after Garnett was drafted. It wouldn’t be a surprise if more NBA players, or professional athletes in general, were at least named. LeBron James’ name came up as Jones allegedly provided information to bettors that James would miss a game in February 2023 due to an ankle injury.

Again, this is not accusing James or Garnett of any wrongdoing. But Billups could have a large circle, and it shouldn’t be a shock when more names are dropped as this story rolls on!