Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups was spotted wearing a “Klutch Sports Group” hoodie as he left the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse in Portland last Thursday. He had just appeared in federal court, where he faced a two-count indictment for his alleged involvement in a nationwide scheme to rig poker games.
Podcaster Patrick Bet-David believes that Billups, a client of Klutch Sports Group, wore the hoodie to convey a message to LeBron James, the agency’s most significant client.
“Look what he’s wearing right there,” he said, via Baksetball Network. “That is for sure intentional.”
“For sure intentional. I’m telling you right now,” he added. “You know what Chauncey’s saying? ‘LeBron, you better have my back, or else.’”
LeBron James Dragged into Gambling Scandal
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was unexpectedly dragged into the NBA’s gambling scandal, following the arrests of Portland Trail Blazers head coach Billups, former NBA player Damon Jones, and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier last week.
According to The Athletic, Jones, a close friend of James, allegedly shared discreet information about the Lakers star with gamblers just days before he broke Kareem-Abdul Jabbar’s all-time scoring record on Feb. 9, 2023.
“According to the indictment, Jones, a friend of James’ who was not an employee of the Lakers, sold or tried to profit from non-public information so that others could bet on it, including alleged co-conspirators Eric Earnest and Marves Fairley. It was about who would not be playing or if they would pull themselves out of games early.”
“A league source with knowledge of the situation told The Athletic that James was unaware that Jones shared information about his playing status,” the report added.
NBA Coaches Rally Behind Chauncey Billups
In addition to rigging poker games, Billups has been identified as Co-Conspirator 8 in an indictment that claims he shared inside information about his team, the Portland Trail Blazers. Despite the bevy of allegations, coaches around the NBA have voiced their support for their colleague ahead of his next court appearance on Nov. 24.
“I believe in Chauncey’s character,” Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said, via ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
“I know who he is as a person. I’ve been with him since I was 17 years old. So, it’s just hard to see something like this happen. He has my love and support always.”
Lue, the godfather to Billups’ three daughters, spoke to his dear friend shortly after he was released from federal custody. Lue said that he got a good sense from Billups’ voice.
“When you’ve known somebody so long, you can just tell by their voice — if he’s OK,” Lue said of their phone conversation. “Like I said, he’s confident in what’s going on. The toughest part just for him, just like his family going through with his daughters. But other than that, he’s really confident about the situation.”
Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, the president of the National Basketball Coaches Association, said he contacted Billups, but his colleague did not answer. However, he expressed support for Billups.
“The coaches association, we support all of our coaches,” Carlisle said, via The Athletic.
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