In a shocking development, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier have been apprehended in connection with investigations into illegal gambling activities, as reported by US media on Thursday. According to ABC News, Billups, 49, was arrested in relation to an illicit poker operation allegedly linked to the Mafia. Rozier, 31, was detained in a separate but connected betting case. The FBI is set to make an official announcement regarding these arrests in New York later today. Billups, a former NBA star and Hall of Famer, has been coaching the Trail Blazers since 2021, while Rozier, a seasoned player with an 11-year career, is currently sidelined due to a hamstring injury. This incident follows the lifetime ban of Toronto Raptors’ Jontay Porter last year for his involvement in a betting scandal. NBA regulations strictly prohibit players from gambling on league games, with violations potentially leading to fines, suspensions, or permanent bans. Billups’ arrest comes three months after former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas was charged with hosting illegal poker games at his Los Angeles mansion. Arenas has pleaded not guilty to the charges.