Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier have been arrested in connection with an FBI investigation into illegal gambling, US media reported on Thursday.
ABC News, citing law enforcement sources, said 49-year-old Billups’ arrest was linked to an illegal poker operation with alleged Mafia connections. Rozier was arrested in a separate but related betting case.
CBS News reported that FBI Director Kash Patel was scheduled to announce details of the arrests in New York at 10:00 am local time (1400 GMT).
Billups, a former Detroit Pistons star who retired in 2014, has coached the Trail Blazers for five years. ABC News said he will appear in court in Oregon later on Thursday.
Rozier, 31, drafted 16th overall by the Boston Celtics in 2015, has played 11 seasons in the NBA. He missed the Miami Heat’s opening game of the NBA season on Wednesday.
Last year, Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter received a lifetime NBA ban for his involvement in a betting scandal.