The Oklahoma City Thunder are 2-0, but things have hardly been easy for the defending NBA champions.

Both contests they’ve played went to double overtime, the latest coming Thursday night in an NBA Finals rematch against the Indiana Pacers. OKC can largely thank Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for its 141-135 victory.

The reigning league MVP scored a career-high 55 points against the Pacers, hitting 15 of his 31 shots from the floor. As he tends to do, he went to the line repeatedly, shooting an eye-popping 26 free throws – sinking 23. He even dished out a team-high five assists, for good measure.

Here’s a look at his highlights and full stats from the game:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander highlights vs. Pacers

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stats vs. Pacers

Points: 55
FG: 15-for-31 (2-for-7 from 3)
Free Throws: 23-for-26
Rebounds: 8
Assists: 5
Steals: 2
Blocks: 1
Turnovers: 2
Fouls: 4
Minutes: 45

TORONTO — George Springer can’t even remember what time it was in the wee hours Tuesday morning when he strolled into his Toronto condominium, his cell phone still buzzing, trying to not wake up his young family, when his 4-year old son, George IV, jumped up and greeted him at the door.

“I was actually trying to be quiet, my son was still awake, and he ran over and gave me a big hug,’ Springer said. “It was just an awesome moment. It’s one of the coolest moments of the whole day.

“Honestly, I wish I had the words to even describe it.’’

Well, there are about 42 million Canadians who wish they can hug Springer, too, after he delivered the most magical Toronto Blue Jays’ moment in 32 years with his homer in Game 7 of the ALCS that vaulted the Blue Jays into the World Series for the first time since 1993.

“It still hasn’t sunk in,’ Springer said, “it really hasn’t. I’m sure one day I’ll be able to look back on it, and do some reflecting on it, but not now.

“I’m not sure how long it will take.’

The rest of Canada can say the same, with Springer never having to buy another meal, let alone a Molson lager, in this beautiful city again.

“It couldn’t happen to a better person, either,’ Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho said. “He’s been our captain, our leader. He’s like everyone’s big brother.

“And now he has us in the World Series.’

Cheating scandal is ‘in the past’

Springer held court for 45 minutes talking about his game-winning homer, life as a newly-crowned celebrity in Toronto, the love Canadians have for the Blue Jays, how to properly pronounce Toronto and his respect and admiration for the powerful Los Angeles Dodgers, who they’ll face Friday in Game 1 at Rogers Centre.

Well, some 2,500 miles away on the West Coast of the United States, let’s just say the feeling is not so mutual.

Dodgers fans can’t stand Springer.

He represents the 2017 Houston Astros World Series championship the Dodgers believe that Springer and his teammates stole from them.

The Astros were implicated two years later in an illegal sign-stealing scandal from that season that cost manager A.J. Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow their jobs in Houston, Alex Cora’s job for a year in Boston, and Carlos Beltran’s new managerial gig with the New York Mets.

There was no punishment for the Astros’ players, which drives opposing fanbases insane.

It has been eight long years, but Springer is now the first everyday player from that 2017 squad to reach the World Series with another team.

He already is bracing himself for the reaction when the World Series returns to Los Angeles on Monday for Game 3, with the Dodgers and their fans vividly remembering that Springer hit five home runs in that ’17 World Series, winning the World Series MVP award.

The smile and laughter drain from his face when the subject is brought up. He doesn’t run or hide from it, but he’s visibly uncomfortable addressing the scandal.

“I mean, at the end of the day, I have a job to do and have a game to focus on,’ Springer said. “So that’s kind of the plan.’

When asked if he wears his 2017 World Series ring or has heard from his former Astros teammates during the Blue Jays’ postseason run, Springer was vague.

“You know, that’s in the past,’ he said. “This is about the now. I’ve heard from a lot of guys, you know, up and down, all over the place.’

When asked if he’s looking forward to returning to Dodger Stadium, where he has been viciously booed whenever he has returned, Springer tried to smile.

“I don’t have a choice,’ he said. “So, you know, I’d have to go back there. The focus will be on the game and to play the game the best I can. It’s an incredible team on the other side of the field. Everyone knows that.

“Let’s just see what happens.’

Springer’s current teammates gushed about how much he has meant to them. They talk about his leadership, his guidance. The Toronto community talks in reverence about his charitable support. The folks who work in organizations to support kids with stuttering problems call him a hero.

This is why they would love to see Springer win another World Series ring, this one not tainted.

“That’s why it’s so fitting with the year he had, the best of his career, that he was able to have this moment here,’ Blue Jays infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa. “It kind of makes everyone realize that no matter what happened in the past, this version of George is probably the best version of George.

“And he did it here.’

Springer, who signed a six-year, $150 million free agent contract in 2021, hit 32 home runs this season, his most since 2019, with a .959 OPS, third-best in baseball behind only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.

There were no illegal signs. No trash-can banging. No alleged buzzers.

Just good ol’-fashioned hitting where Springer has established himself again as one of the premier offensive players in the game – and one of the greatest power-hitters in postseason history.

“He’s meant so much to me in my career,’ said Bo Bichette, who’s a free agent after the season, and must decide whether he wants to return. “I think he’s kind of my first veteran teammate who has seen it all, done it all, and I’ve learned so much from him.

“Obviously, I’ll be having conversations with him about how to handle a World Series because he does it better than anybody.

“That’s why there was no doubt in my mind he was going to hit a home run that night.’

Springer has hit 23 postseason home runs in his career, tied for third on the all-time home run list behind only Manny Ramirez (29) and former Astros teammate Jose Altuve (27).

“I just try to really slow things down,’ Springer said. ‘Try to kind of breathe and just enjoy the moment. I’ll spread that advice around because that’s the advice I got early in my career.’

‘You know how much it means’

As much euphoria as Springer created with his heroics in the ALCS, he can’t begin to imagine what it would be like seeing the Blue Jays win their first World Series since the famous Joe Carter homer in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.

“Just seeing how the city, how the country responded the other day,’ Springer said, “it would be just wild. I can’t even begin to tell you how many messages I got the other day. I actually didn’t know that I knew that many people.

“This is just such an unbelievable place to play. We walk out there every day and see our fans, how they respond, at home and on the road, you know how much it means to everyone.’’

Springer, who says the most memorable home run he ever saw in person or watched live on TV was David Ortiz’s game-winning homer in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS against the New York Yankees, says he will wait to watch his own this winter.

He’s hoping there will be at least one more that he can forever stash away in his memory book before the end of his career.

“I know there’s still a job to be done, and hopefully there’s some more memorable at-bats in front of me,’’ Springer said. “Then, I’ll look back and do some reflecting. But for me, we got a job to do. We’ve got to beat the Dodgers.’’

This time without any illegal assistance, so they can proudly wear those 2025 World Series rings.

“That’s obviously a very historic franchise,’’ Springer said. “Everybody knows that. You look at the guys who have played there. The Hall of Famers on their team now.

“To beat them, would be so special for all of us, this city, and our entire country.

“I want this as bad as everyone else wants it.’

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

One of the more highly anticipated women’s college basketball non-conference games of the upcoming 2025-26 season is changing venues due to the ongoing government shutdown.

The top-25 matchup between No. 1 UConn and No. 19 Louisville set for Nov. 4 will now be played at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, a person with direct knowledge of the plans for the game told the Louisville Courier Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network. 

ESPN Events later announced the new venue site on X (formerly Twitter). The game was originally set to be played at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

The government shutdown began on Oct. 1 and is now in its 23rd day. It is the second-longest shutdown in history, with the longest one being a 35-day shutdown that took place during the first Trump administration from Dec. 22, 2018 through Jan. 25, 2019.

‘Very encouraged and obviously looking forward to the opportunity,’ Louisville coach Jeff Walz said earlier in the day about the game, according to the Courier-Journal. ‘Discouraged that our elected officials couldn’t figure out a way to get our country back up and running. But nothing surprising these days.’

He added: ‘I feel bad for (director of operations Cortnee Walton). She had arranged some great things for us. Germany had done a ton of legwork to make sure this was going to be a great experience. Not only a really, really good basketball game but just a great experience overall. And that’s what we try to do when we go on trips. Even if it’s a one-day road game, you’re trying to make sure you let these players get the opportunity to experience the city you’re in, the campus you might be going to visit. And she put a lot of work into it. So, we will pivot.’

The Nov. 4 meeting between UConn and Louisville is the third leg of a four-year home-and-home series between both programs. The Huskies earned an 86-52 win over the Cardinals on Dec. 16, 2023, in Hartford, Connecticut, and an 85-52 win on Dec. 7, 2024, at the Barclays Center in New York, in the Women’s Champions Classic. Louisville is scheduled to host UConn at the KFC Yum! Center during the 2026-27 season.

Fresh off its 12th national title under Geno Auriemma, UConn was tabbed as the No. 1 team in the preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, which was released on Thursday. Louisville was tabbed as the No. 19-ranked team in the poll.

ESPN statement on UConn-Louisville moving due to government shutdown

Here’s a statement from ESPN Events vice present Clint Overby:

This story has been updated with new information.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

PORTLAND, OR —  Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups was arraigned Oct. 23 on charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in Portland, Oregon.

Billups was indicted, along with more than 30 people, in the Eastern District of New York for his role in bringing victims to rigged poker games.

Billups appeared in a packed Portland courtroom at 1:30 p.m. wearing a brown sweatshirt and gray pants, only saying “Yes,” when Judge Jolie A. Russo asked if he understood his right to remain silent.

After his eight-minute arraignment, in which he was granted his release on the condition he stay only in Oregon and Colorado, Billups looked around the courtroom and was taken away.

Billups is required to turn over his passport and secure a bond in the Eastern District of New York, where he was originally charged. The judge did not say how much the bond was, only that it was substantial.

He is next due to appear in federal court in New York on Nov. 24. He is prohibited from gambling or contact with other defendants.

“Folks shouldn’t draw any conclusions like this,” said Chris Heywood, Billups’ attorney.

The poker scheme caused losses to the victims of at least $7.15 million, according to court documents. How much Billups earned from the alleged scheme is unclear.

The 49-year-old, a five-time NBA all-star as a player, earned $4.7 million as the head coach of the Blazers in the 2024-2025 season, according to reports.

Billups was arrested early on Oct. 23 at his home in Lake Oswego, according to court documents. The Trail Blazers lost 118-114 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Oct. 22 season opener in Portland.

Billups and former NBA player Damon Jones were identified in the charging documents as “Face Cards” and members of the “Cheating Teams.”

The indictments says the “Face Cards” invited wealthy victims to rigged games and received “a portion of the criminal proceeds in exchange for their participation.”

At the rigged games, people used shuffling machines that were altered to read cards and other technology such as electronic poker chip trays that could read cards, card analyzers in decoy cellphones to detect which cards were on the table, and cards that were only visible to people wearing special sunglasses or contact lenses.

Members of the Bonanno, Gambino and Genovese crime families allegedly threatened the organizers of the games and took protection money from them.

Defendants then laundered money from the illegal poker games, according to the indictment.

Billups was part of a game in April 2019 in Las Vegas where victims were defrauded of at least $50,000.

“The fraud is mind-boggling,” FBI director Kash Patel said in an Oct. 23 news conference.

He took his first coaching job as an assistant with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2020 and coached there for one season before being hired as the head coach for the Trail Blazers.

“We are aware of the allegations involving head coach Chauncey Billups, and the Trail Blazers are fully cooperating with the investigation,” according to a statement from the team. “Billups has been placed on immediate leave, and Tiago Splitter will assume head coaching duties in the interim. Any further questions should be directed to the NBA.”

Billups is 117-212 as an NBA head coach. He was starting his fifth year in Portland.

Former NBA player Damon Jones provided non-public injury information about the status of two players in NBA games, according to allegations listed in Thursday’s federal indictments related to a wide-ranging gambling scandal announced by FBI. Those players may have been LeBron James and Anthony Davis, based on public injury information USA TODAY Sports reviewed from the dates of those games.

An indictment that led to the arrest of Jones and current Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier alleges that between December 2022 and 2024 they were part of a scheme to defraud betting companies by providing and using non-public information related to NBA games. Jones is accused of selling non-public information for the purpose of placing illegal bets before at least two Los Angeles Lakers games during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 NBA seasons.

The Justice Department charges state Jones used his relationship and access with the Lakers and their top players to help orchestrate the operation, with specific reference to a Feb. 9, 2023 game between the Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks that occurred two days after James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

Jones allegedly sent a text message the morning of the game to alert gamblers that ‘Player 3’ would not be playing, according to the indictment. At the time, Player 3 had not yet been ruled out of the game.

James did not play on Feb. 9, 2023 due to ankle soreness, and the Lakers lost the game. Player 3 is identified in the indictment as ‘a prominent NBA player’ who Jones had been teammates with and coached. Jones played with James for the Cleveland Cavaliers over three seasons and served as an unofficial Lakers coach during the 2022-23 season, according to the indictment.

Jones is also alleged to have provided non-public information to bettors in connection with a Jan. 15, 2024 game involving the Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder. Jones, according to the indictment, claimed to have learned from a team trainer that ‘Player 4,’ identified by law enforcement officials as ‘one of the Lakers’ best players during the 2023-24 season,’ was injured and going to play limited minutes. ‘Player 4’ had previously been designated as probable on the team’s injury report.

Jones allegedly shared the information for gambling purposes and received a $2,500 payment through peer-to-peer mobile payment. One co-defendant, Marves Fairley, placed a $100,000 bet on the Lakers to lose the game, according to the indictment. However, ‘Player 4′ wound up playing and the Lakers won. Davis was the only Lakers’ player listed as probable before the Jan. 15, 2024 game and finished with 27 points and 15 rebounds.

Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier is also implicated in the indictment for manipulating his performance in a March 23, 2023 game between the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans. Rozier, then a member of the Hornets, is accused of telling another co-defendant that he was going to prematurely remove himself from the game. Rozier wound up playing less than 10 minutes before leaving with an injury. 

Justice Department officials alleged on Thursday that more than $200,000 was bet on Rozier’s ‘under’ in the game.’

Joseph Nocella Jr., the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, called it ‘one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized in the United States.’

The FBI secured multiple indictments for more than 30 people related to their alleged role in an explosive gambling scandal that rocked the NBA. Jones is also implicated in an illegal poker scheme tied to the Mafia that led to the arrest of Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups on Thursday.

The NBA placed Billups and Rozier on ‘immediate leave’ after they were indicted. Charges stemming from the wide-ranging investigation include wire fraud conspiracy, illegal gambling, money laundering, robbery and extortions.

(This story was updated to add a photo gallery.)

FBI agents arrived at Terry Rozier’s Orlando, Florida, hotel room by 6 a.m. Thursday, ready to arrest the Miami Heat guard for his alleged role in an illegal NBA gambling scandal that reverberated throughout the league days after the 2025-26 season opened.

Rozier’s name had been mentioned in connection with NBA gambling issues for some time. His attorney, Jim Trusty, said previously that Rozier met with the NBA and FBI several times in 2023 and wrote in a statement issued Thursday the league previously cleared Rozier when it looked into suspicious betting activity during his time with the Charlotte Hornets. But the morning after Rozier’s first game this season, federal authorities showed up with an indictment featuring allegations that accuse him of manipulating his performance for the purpose of enriching himself and gamblers, who profited off inside information he provided.

Rozier was placed into custody Thursday, along with Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and former NBA player Damon Jones, as part of the yearslong investigation by the FBI that also included more than 30 arrests related to an illegal poker operation with Mafia ties. Rozier and Billups were each put on immediate leave from their teams by the NBA.

It’s Rozier’s alleged offense that could do the most damage to the league since it concerns the integrity of the games. Here’s a breakdown of why Rozier was arrested as part of the NBA’s gambling scandal:

NBA gambling scandal: What is Terry Rozier accused of?

Rozier is officially charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering in an indictment released by a federal court in New York on Thursday, Oct. 23. He’s accused of being part of an illegal betting scheme by alerting gamblers he intended to fake an injury in order to make money off a prop bet related to his performance in a game.

Prior to the March 23, 2023, game between the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans, according to the indictment, Rozier told co-defendant Deniro Laster that he planned to prematurely remove himself from the game in the first quarter due to injury and not return to play. Rozier had not been listed on the injury report.

Federal authorities allege Laster then sold the information to co-defendant Marves Fairley, and more than $200,000 in prop bets were subsequently placed on Rozier’s ‘unders’ for the game. Rozier played 9 minutes, 34 seconds for the Hornets in the game before leaving with an injury and finished ‘under’ his prop bet totals for points, assists and 3-pointers.

The indictment also states once Laster collected his cut of the winnings from Fairley in Philadelphia, he drove from Philadelphia to Rozier’s home in Charlotte and counted the money with Rozier during the early morning hours of April 1, 2023. Rozier did not appear in another game that season for the Hornets.

Rozier, Jones and former NBA player Jontay Porter were each accused of providing inside information for the illegal gambling scheme as part of the investigation. Porter was banned for life from playing in the NBA in April 2024 and plead guilty to wire fraud conspiracy in July 2024.

Joseph Nocella Jr., the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, called it ‘one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized in the United States.’

Terry Rozier ‘not afraid of a fight’

Terry Rozier’s attorney, Jim Trusty, issued a statement to USA TODAY Sports defending Rozier after his arrest on Thursday morning:

‘We have represented Terry Rozier for over a year.  A long time ago we reached out to these prosecutors to tell them we should have an open line of communication. They characterized Terry as a subject, not a target, but at 6 a.m. this morning they called to tell me FBI agents were trying to arrest him in a hotel. It is unfortunate that instead of allowing him to self surrender they opted for a photo op. They wanted the misplaced glory of embarrassing a professional athlete with a perp walk. That tells you a lot about the motivations in this case. They appear to be taking the word of spectacularly in-credible sources rather than relying on actual evidence of wrongdoing. Terry was cleared by the NBA and these prosecutors revived that non-case. Terry is not a gambler, but he is not afraid of a fight, and he looks forward to winning this fight.’

Terry Rozier career earnings

Rozier is starting his 11th season in the NBA, though he did not play in the Miami Heat’s 2025-26 season opener against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday due to a coach’s decision. This is his second full season in Miami after being traded there by the Hornets on Jan. 23, 2024.

Rozier signed a four-year extension worth about $96.3 million with the Charlotte Hornets ahead of the 2022 NBA season, according to Spotrac. The deal was the 31-year-old’s third contract since entering the NBA in 2015 as a first-round pick by the Celtics. It was also his biggest deal to date, topping his previous two contracts combined.

Rozier has $160,484,983 in career earnings, per Spotrac. The guard has received contracts worth $96.3 million, $56.7 million and $8.8 million during his 10-year career.

USA TODAY Sports reporter Nick Brinkerhoff contributed to this report

Two years before Chauncey Billups was named in an FBI indictment on Thursday, Oct. 23, a professional poker player said a rigged poker game was “built around” Billups, the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers and NBA Hall of Famer.

Matt Berkey, the 43-year-old poker player, made his allegations in 2023 during an appearance on the “Only Friends’’ podcast.

Berkey, who according to The Hendon Mob website has $4.7 million in poker tournament winnings, said he thought the poker game involving Billups started in 2019 in Los Angeles before moving to Las Vegas.

Billups was one of more than 30 people arrested by the FBI in connection with a pair of alleged gambling rings on charges of conspiring to commit fraud, money laundering, illegal gambling and extortion.

Berkey said he decided not to play in the poker game because he knew people involved and thought it was rigged. But he said he talked to friends who played in the game and it was ‘for sure confirmed to be cheated.’’

They played Texas Hold‘em, according to Berkey, who said people who won did not understand the game but knew what cards were coming.

‘Only the pros were losing,’ Berkey said. “They got absolutely filleted.’

Berkey did not immediately respond to USA TODAY Sports requests for comment left by a phone number issued in Berkey’s name, text message, email and his X account.

Of the pros losing, Berkey said, “You don’t have to be good if you can know the deck start to finish. Of course they (the pros) look bad.’’

Berkey noted it’s hard to confront someone like Billups because those people ‘carry a lot of weight and hold a lot of power.’ 

(This story was updated to add a photo gallery.)

Our runup to the start of college basketball continues. Today it’s the women’s turn as we unveil the preseason rankings in the USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches poll, which has a lot of familiar names at the top.

Connecticut will begin this season where the last one concluded at No. 1. The defending champion Huskies were voted first by 28 of 31 panelists and are the preseason No. 1 team for the first time since 2017. South Carolina will open at No. 2, claiming the remaining three first-place nods. No. 3 Texas and No. 5 LSU give the SEC three of the top five spots to tip off the campaign.

TOP 25: Complete USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball poll

There’s two others from the conference in the top 10 with Oklahoma opening at No. 7 and Tennessee at No. 9. No. 4 UCLA fills out the top five, and No. 6 Duke and No. 8 North Carolina State head the projected ACC contenders. No. 10 Maryland gives the Big Ten a second top-10 representative.

In all, the SEC has eight teams in the initial top 25. The Big Ten is next with six overall, with the ACC and Big 12 landing five teams each in the preseason poll.

The FBI arrested over 30 people, including NBA figures Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier, in a major gambling scandal.
Billups is charged in connection with an illegal poker operation tied to the Mafia.
Rozier is accused of manipulating his performance in a game to benefit illegal betting.

The FBI secured multiple indictments for more than 30 people related to their alleged role in an explosive gambling scandal that has rocked the NBA. Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA player Damon Jones all were arrested as part of the investigation, which involved extensive illegal gambling rings, FBI director Kash Patel said during a news conference Thursday.

Billups was charged in connection with an illegal poker operation tied to the mafia, while Rozier is accused of manipulating his performance during an NBA game to benefit illegal betting. Jones is one of three people charged in both indictments, said Joseph Nocella Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

The NBA placed Billups and Rozier on ‘immediate leave’ after they were indicted. Billups was in court and arraigned in Portland Thursday afternoon. Here are the latest updates. We will update this story as new information becomes available.

FBI claims Chauncey Billups, mobsters swindled significant sum

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups is one of 31 defendants accused of helping mobsters swindle millions of dollars from unsuspecting poker players during a series of rigged games […]

But exactly how much money did these poker games allegedly defraud from victims?

According to the federal indictment, the alleged conspiracy ’caused losses to the Victims of at least $7,150,000,’ though the amount that Billups and other alleged participants earned from the scheme was not listed in the document. — Lorenzo Reyes

USA TODAY Sports reporter Lorenzo Reyes has more on the significant losses alleged in the federal indictment.

Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups was arraigned Thursday

Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups was arraigned Oct. 23 on charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in Portland.

Billups appeared in a packed Portland courtroom at 1:30 p.m. wearing a brown sweatshirt and gray pants, only saying “Yes,” when Judge Jolie A. Russo asked if he understood his right to remain silent.

After his eight-minute arraignment, in which he was granted his release on the condition he stay only in Oregon and Colorado, Billups looked around the courtroom and was taken away. — Bill Poehler, Salem Statesman Journal

Bill Poehler, writing for the Salem Statesman Journal, has more on Thursday’s arraignment of Chauncey Billups.

Pro poker player says Chauncey Billups was in rigged game years prior

Two years before Chauncey Billups was named in an FBI indictment on Thursday, Oct. 23, a professional poker player said a rigged poker game was “built around” Billups, the head coach of the Portland Trailblazers and NBA Hall of Famer.

Matt Berkey, the 43-year-old poker player, made his allegations in 2023 during an appearance on the “Only Friends’’ podcast. — Josh Peter

USA TODAY Sports’ Josh Peter has more on Berkey’s comments.

Lakers coach JJ Redick comments on NBA gambling

Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick spoke with reporters on Thursday and briefly addressed the NBA gambling news.

‘We’ve had two meetings on it already,’ Redick said. ‘It’s obviously on the front of everyone’s awareness given the last two years, but other than that, there’s no other comment.’

What did Terry Rozier do?

One indictment deals with an alleged insider sports-betting conspiracy. Six defendants are charged, including current Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former Cleveland Cavaliers player and coach Damon Jones.

Rozier, Jones and others allegedly tried to defraud people from about December of 2022 to March of 2024 by betting based on insider information about NBA athletes and teams. The non-public information included when players would be sitting out future games or when they would pull themselves out early based on purported injuries or illnesses, according to prosecutor Joseph Nocella Jr., who spoke at the news conference.

What did Chauncey Billups do?

The second indictment charges 31 defendants with scheming to rig illegal poker games. The defendants include Portland Trail Blazers coach and former Detroit Pistons star Chauncey Billups and former Cleveland Cavaliers player and coach Damon Jones.

The defendants allegedly used high-tech cheating technology to steal millions of dollars from victims in secretly-fixed underground poker games. For instance, Nocella said they used off-the-shelf shuffling machines that were altered to read the deck’s cards and relay information about which player likely had the best hand.

This scheme also involved the mafia, according to Nocella. That was because members of the Bonano, Gambino and Genovese organized-crime families already had control over non-rigged, illegal poker games in New York City.

Charges in this scheme include wire fraud conspiracy, illegal gambling, money laundering, robbery and extortions, according to Nocella.

Who is Damon Jones?

Here’s what to know about Damon Jones, as the 49-year-old stands among the group of 30-plus people charged in the wide-ranging scandal. Jones is a former basketball player who played 11 seasons in the NBA before becoming an assistant coach.

Who was arrested in NBA gambling, rigged poker games scandal?

Here is the full list of people, along with their aliases, included in the two indictments.

Terry Rozier indictment PDF

Chauncey Billups indictment PDF

Who is Tiago Splitter? What to know about Trail Blazers’ interim coach

Portland named Tiago Splitter its interim coach on Oct. 23, according to ESPN. The former San Antonio Spurs center was in his first season as a Blazers’ assistant. Here’s what to know about Splitter.

NBA puts Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier on leave immediately

The NBA has placed Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier on ‘immediate leave’ after they were indicted in a wide-ranging illegal gambling scheme that includes ties to organized crime and involves more than 30 individuals. The league said it will ‘continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities.’

How Damon Jones allegedly involved LeBron James in gambling scandal

Former NBA player Damon Jones provided non-public injury information about the status of two players in NBA games, according to allegations listed in Thursday’s federal indictments related to a wide-ranging gambling scandal announced by FBI. Those players may have been LeBron James and Anthony Davis, based on public injury information USA TODAY Sports reviewed from the dates of those games. Read more.

Watch the FBI press conference

NBA indictments: Read full details

Read both indictments in full that include Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones.

NBA statement on gambling scandal

The NBA has issued a statement in the wake of Thursday’s indictments related to illegal gambling, announcing that Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups are being placed on immediate leave from their respective teams.

“We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictments announced today. Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups are being placed on immediate leave from their teams, and we will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities.  We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority.”

Chauncey Billups, the Mafia and ‘rigged poker games’

U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. detailed the extensive illegal poker scheme, with Mafia ties, that led to Billups’ arrest at Thursday’s games. Beginning as early as 2019, defendants in the case are accused of using wireless cheating technology to run rigged poker games in locales like the Hamptons, Miami, Las Vegas and Manhattan.

Victims were lured to participate in the games by the chance to play alongside former professional athletes, including Billups and Jones. The former professional athletes were known as ‘face cards,’ while the victims were referred to as ‘fish,’ according to Nocella. Members of the Bonanno, Gambino and Genovese organized crime families also allegedly became involved, taking a cut of the rigged poker games and enforcing the collection of debts.

Nocella indicated Billups was a former NBA player and not the Trail Blazers coach at the time of his alleged involvement.

‘What the victims, the fish, didn’t know, is that everybody else at the poker game, from the dealer to the players – including the face cards – were in on the scam,’ Nocella said. ‘Once the game was underway, the defendants fleeced the victims out of tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars per game.’

The alleged fraud included self-shuffling machines that had ‘been secretly altered in order to read the cards on the deck, predict which player on the table had the best poker hand, and relay the information to an offsite operator,’ according to Nocella. ‘The offsite operator sent the information via cell phone back to a co-conspirator at the table and that person at the table was known as the ‘quarterback.’ The ‘quarterback’ then signaled secretly the information he had received to others at the table and together they used that information in order to win their games and to cheat the victims.’

They are also alleged to have used poker chip tray analyzers, special contact lenses or eye glasses that can read pre-marked cards, and an X-ray table that can read cards face down on the table.

Portland Trail Blazers’ statement on NBA gambling indictments

“We are aware of the allegations involving head coach Chauncey Billups, and the Trail Blazers are fully cooperating with the investigation,’ the team said in a statement released Thursday afternoon. ‘Billups has been placed on immediate leave, and Tiago Splitter will assume head coaching duties in the interim. Any further questions should be directed to the NBA.”

Terry Rozier’s attorney responds: ‘Not a gambler’

Jim Trusty, the attorney representing Terry Rozier in this matter, sent a statement to USA TODAY Sports in response to his client’s arrest on Thursday.

‘We have represented Terry Rozier for over a year.  A long time ago we reached out to these prosecutors to tell them we should have an open line of communication,’ Trusty wrote. ‘They characterized Terry as a subject, not a target, but at 6 a.m. this morning they called to tell me FBI agents were trying to arrest him in a hotel. It is unfortunate that instead of allowing him to self surrender they opted for a photo op. They wanted the misplaced glory of embarrassing a professional athlete with a perp walk. That tells you a lot about the motivations in this case. They appear to be taking the word of spectacularly in-credible sources rather than relying on actual evidence of wrongdoing. Terry was cleared by the NBA and these prosecutors revived that non-case. Terry is not a gambler, but he is not afraid of a fight, and he looks forward to winning this fight.’

NBA gambling scandal: What FBI, Justice Department said

FBI director Kash Patel: ‘The fraud is mind-boggling. … We’re talking about tens of millions of dollars in fraud and theft and robbery across a multi-years investigation.”

U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr. referred to the case involving Rozier as ‘one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized in the United States. This scheme is an insider sports betting conspiracy that exploited confidential information about National Basketball Association athletes and teams.”

Nocella said the indictment that led to the arrest of Billups, Jones and more than 30 people overall involved ‘a nationwide scheme to rig illegal poker games. These defendants … used high-tech cheating technology to steal millions of dollars from victims in underground poker games that were secretly fixed.”

Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier arrested

Billups was arrested in Oregon on Thursday morning, one day after a season-opening loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Rozier was also arrested Thursday morning at a hotel in Orlando, Florida, where the Heat lost their season opener to the Magic. Rozier did not play in the game due to a coach’s decision. Billups, Rozier and Jones are expected to make a court appearance later Thursday, according to a Justice Department spokesperson.

NBA gambling scandal details: What we know

The years-long investigation spanned 11 states, resulted in more than 30 arrests and implicated the Bonnano, Gambino and Genovese organized crime families, according to Patel. The case involving Billups and Jones centers on rigged poker games that took place across the United States, Patel said, with the scheme targeting victims who were often lured to participate by the chance to play alongside former professional athletes.

The indictment also includes acts of violence, including a robbery at gun-point in order to obtain a rigged shuffling machine, as well as extortions. The defendants laundered their proceeds, according to Justice Department officials, including through cash exchanges, use of multiple shell companies and through cryptocurrency transfers.

At the center of attention in Rozier’s case is a March 23, 2023, game between the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans. Sports books in several states flagged unusual betting activity on Rozier’s statistics, triggering a halt on his prop bets. Rozier, who averaged 35.3 minutes and 21.1 points per game that season, left the game after playing just 10 minutes due to a foot injury.

Justice Department officials alleged on Thursday that more than $200,000 was bet on Rozier’s ‘under’ in the game

Rozier’s attorney previously told ESPN that the veteran guard met with the NBA and FBI several times in 2023, and that the league determined Rozier had done nothing wrong.

The case is part of a larger sports gambling scheme that has already implicated former Raptors forward Jontay Porter.

Who is Chauncey Billups?

Chauncey Billups, 49, was was one game into his fifth season as the coach in Portland after being on the sideline when the Trail Blazers lost their 2025 NBA season opener to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 118-114, on Wednesday. He had a 117-212 career record. elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024 after a 17-year playing career that included an NBA Finals MVP and championship with the Detroit Pistons in 2004.

Who is Terry Rozier?

Rozier, 31, was traded by the Hornets to the Heat in January 2024. He is currently in the final season of a four-year, $96.3 million contract he signed with Charlotte in 2021.

This is a developing story. USA TODAY Sports will update with more details.