NBA, Congressional Committee Meet Amid Gambling Probes: Report

The National Basketball Association reportedly met with a United States congressional committee in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday (November 5) amid the ongoing probe into FBI indictments over alleged gambling, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to ESPN's Shams Charania.

The reported meeting took place weeks after Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Bilups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA player Damon Jones were among dozens arrested in a sweeping investigation into illegal sports betting and alleged Mafia-backed poker rigging schemes.

"A United States Congressional committee is meeting with NBA officials Wednesday in Washington, D.C., in wake of the indictments of Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones, sources tell ESPN," Charania wrote on his X account.

Billups and Rozier were placed on administrative leave from their respective teams last month amid the ongoing investigation.

"We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictments announced today," the NBA said in a statement re-shared by Charania on his X account on October 23. "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."

The federal takedown resulted in more than 30 arrests spanning 11 states, as well as and included charges of wire fraud, money laundering, extortion, robbery and illegal gambling, according to Patel.

“The fraud is mind-blogging,” Patel told reporters, referring to the alleged incidents as a “criminal enterprise that envelops both the NBA and La Cosa Nostra.”

Rozier, 31, was among six defendants indicted in the first case, dubbed "Operation Nothing But Bet," accusing them of an insider sports betting scheme that "exploited confidential information," which U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. called “one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since only sports betting became widely legalized in the United States.” The guard was arrested at a hotel in Orlando, Florida, Thursday morning.

Sportsbooks in multiple states reportedly flagged suspicious betting interest on Rozier's statistics prior to the March 23, 2023, game between the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans after a surge of bets were placed on the under on Rozier's points, rebounds and assists, causing the sportsbooks to halt the offerings, ESPN's Shams Charania reported earlier in the day. The guard, who played for the Hornets at the time, left the game after just 10 minutes with what was reported to be a foot injury.

Rozier is in the final season of a four-year, $96.3 million deal that he reached with the Hornets in August 2021 prior to being traded to the Heat in January 2024.

Billups, 49, and Jones, 49, were among 31 defendants indicted in the second case, dubbed "Operation Royal Flush," in which suspects allegedly used high-tech cheating gadgets to steal millions from games backed by four of the "Five Families" long suspected to have ruled organized crime within the New York area. It wasn't immediately clear where Billups was arrested, however, he is set to be arraigned in Portland, hours after coaching the Blazers in a home game on October 22.

“Your winning streak has ended,” Nocella said of the “Royal Flush” case during Thursday's press conference. “Your luck has run out. Violating the law is a losing proposition, and you can bet on that.”