The NBA world was recently shaken up by a gambling scandal involving multiple players and coaches. Among those arrested was Portland Trail Blazers‘ head coach Chauncey Billups. Billups allegedly used numerous different tools to illegally rig poker games. Organized crime families backed these poker games.
The 49-year-old was entering his fifth season as the Trail Blazers’ head coach before the arrest. With his head-coaching tenure and time in the NBA, Billups made many friends. One of his best friends is the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, Tyronn Lue.
Tyronn Lue Says Chauncey Billups Will Be Okay
GettyChauncey Billups was arrested as a result of the recent gambling scandal.
Before Sunday’s game against Portland, Lue addressed Billups’ arrest.
“When you’ve known somebody so long, you can just tell by their voice— if he’s okay. Like I said, he’s confident in what’s going on. The toughest part just for him is just like his family going through with his daughters. But other than that, he’s really confident about the situation. So just hearing his voice, I can just see that he’s okay. So that was good to hear,” Lue said, per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.
Lue is not only Billups’ best friend but also the godfather of his daughters. It is not easy to see a good friend go through a situation like this, but Lue will continue to give Billups his love and support.
“I’ve been with him since I was 17 years old. So it’s just hard to see something like this happen. So he has my love and support always,” Lue said, per Shelburne.
This investigation is definitely going to take a while. Both the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the NBA are going to make sure they get every piece of this right. Everyone will be under a microscope, so it is important that nothing slips through the cracks. Billups will most likely not make a return to the NBA anytime soon, so Portland will be under new leadership for the time being.
Los Angeles takes on Portland Sunday night in the first matchup between the two teams this year.
Gambling Remains a Problem in the NBA
GettyAdam Silver has to find a way to handle the recent gambling allegations.
These arrests highlight a larger problem the NBA faces. They are sponsored by multiple gambling sites, including FanDuel and DraftKings, and ESPN even has its own sportsbook. With sports betting growing, the NBA has to be more careful about how it handles these situations.
Earlier this year, Jontay Porter was arrested because of a gambling investigation, while another NBA player may have been involved, as well. Gambling is becoming a larger issue, and Adam Silver has to find a way to mitigate the problem.
In the current investigation, both Terry Rozier and Damon Jones have been arrested along with Billups. Many other people are involved, but most are affiliated with organized crime. However, names of different players and coaches are coming to light in the investigation.
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