DETROIT — Detroit Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff on Sunday cautioned NBA players and coaches to be vigilant about what they share outside team walls, calling the league’s latest gambling investigation “a scary situation.”
Speaking before the Pistons’ home opener against the Boston Celtics, Bickerstaff said routine details picked up during practices, shootarounds or casual conversations can now be turned into profit. “The information that our guys have is being monetized,” he told reporters. “You have to be extremely careful.”
Bickerstaff’s warning comes as former Pistons star and current Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups faces federal charges tied to an alleged conspiracy to fix high-stakes poker games linked to three Mafia families. Billups, 49, was arrested early Thursday at his Oregon home—hours after Portland’s season-opening loss to Minnesota—and has been placed on leave by the Trail Blazers.
Authorities say 31 people, including Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, participated in illicit gambling schemes that also involved providing bettors with inside information on player injuries. Court filings describe an unnamed “Co-Conspirator 8” whose résumé matches Billups’. He appeared before a judge in Oregon and was released under conditions.
“He is a friend of mine. I’ve known him since seventh grade,” Bickerstaff said. “I hate to see what he’s going through. As a friend and as a human, I’m here to support him. Everyone needs to allow due process to happen.”
Billups’ attorney, Chris Heywood, rejected the allegations, calling his client “a man of integrity” and adding, “He would not jeopardize his Hall of Fame legacy, his reputation or his freedom for anything, let alone a card game.”
Bickerstaff, meanwhile, reiterated that the league’s growing relationship with sports wagering heightens the stakes for anyone who has privileged team knowledge. “When you get in bed with sports betting and gambling, there’s a lot that comes with it,” he said. “All money isn’t good money.”
Source: ESPN
