Portland Trail Blazers head coach and former Boston Celtics guard Chauncey Billups was released on a $5 million bond Thursday in federal court in Brooklyn, where he pleaded not guilty to multiple racketeering and gambling-related charges, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
Billups, 48, was one of 31 defendants arraigned in a sprawling criminal case that prosecutors say could take years to litigate. He secured a bond by using his Colorado home as collateral, with his wife and daughter co-signing the agreement.
Shelburne reported that Billups’ wife and three daughters attended the hearing. Neither Billups nor his attorney, Marc Mukasey, commented as they exited the courthouse.
Judge Seeks Faster Trial, Despite Massive Case Volume
Getty Portland Trail Blazers Coach and former Boston Celtics No. 3 pick Chauncey Billups departs after his arraignment hearing at U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
At Thursday’s hearing, defense attorneys argued the case was too complex to proceed quickly, citing the government’s possession of one terabyte of discovery material. One attorney suggested the entire trial could take years due to data review alone.
However, the presiding judge pushed back, telling attorneys he is determined to begin trial by September 2026, according to Shelburne.
The court also debated whether to split the 31 defendants into smaller groups of 10. Prosecutors said such a move would be for logistical reasons only, but multiple defense attorneys objected, arguing the first group would unfairly dictate legal strategy for the remaining defendants. The judge agreed and kept all defendants together — for now.
The next hearing is scheduled for March 4, giving lawyers months to sift through evidence.
Billups Tagged as ‘Face Card’ in Rigged Poker Games
In the indictments reviewed by Heavy Sports, federal prosecutors allege that a coach who matches Billups’ descriptions provided non-public information about Portland’s lineup decisions and participated in exclusive poker games used to lure wealthy bettors into a rigged gambling network. Investigators claim he tipped off a co-conspirator that the Trail Blazers would rest key players before a March 2023 game against the Chicago Bulls, information allegedly used to place illegal bets.
The 49-year-old coach, arrested in Oregon, has been placed on administrative leave by the Trail Blazers while the case proceeds.
Billup’s High-Powered Attorney
Mukasey, a former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York and the son of ex-U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, is widely regarded as one of America’s top courtroom strategists in financial and corporate cases.
According to The Athletic, Mukasey previously defended Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher, who was acquitted of murder in 2019, and FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried during sentencing in his multibillion-dollar fraud case. Mukasey also served as a legal adviser to Rudy Giuliani’s 2007 presidential campaign and represented Joe Sanberg, co-founder of fintech firm Aspiration, in an NBA-related salary-cap case involving Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers. Sanberg later pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud after admitting to defrauding investors of $248 million.
Billups’ Short but Memorable Celtics Stint
While Billups is most associated with the Detroit Pistons — where he won an NBA title and a Finals MVP in 2004 — his NBA journey began in Boston. The Celtics drafted Billups third overall in 1997, only to trade him 51 games into his rookie year, a move former coach Rick Pitino has publicly regretted.
Many Celtics fans still view Billups as “the one that got away,” often cited alongside other Boston draft decisions from the late 1990s.
That connection makes his current legal saga a notable headline in New England, where his brief tenure remains part of Celtics lore.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Ex-Celtics Guard Uses Home as Bond in NBA Gambling Case appeared first on Heavy Sports.