6 Celebrities at the Center of the NBA Betting Scandal

Well, this is not the kind of crossover the NBA wanted. Federal prosecutors just pulled back the curtain on a sprawling gambling mess that ropes in active players, a head coach, a former coach, and even a very famous Manhattan townhouse once rented by Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott. The headline names: Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups were arrested, and more than 30 people have been indicted overall, including retired players and alleged organized crime figures, according to FBI filings and multiple outlets. LeBron James pops up in the paperwork as "Player 3," but he is not charged. It is a lot. Here is the clean version of what is going on, who is caught up in it, and where this may be headed.

Two parallel tracks seem to be running here. Track one: alleged manipulation of sports bets tied to inside info on NBA games. Track two: a separate illegal poker operation in New York that prosecutors say was juiced by mafia families using tricked-out tables and marked cards. Those tracks overlap in people and places, which is how a reality-TV-famous townhouse ended up in a federal indictment.

• 6) Kylie Jenner
  Federal investigators say a six-story townhouse at 80 Washington Place in Greenwich Village, which Jenner rented in 2021 while pregnant with her second child, was used for private poker nights tied to New York crime families, per Marca and federal filings. The indictment describes an operation that allegedly ran from around 2019 through October 2023, with rival crews even clashing over who controlled the games. The tech sounds like something out of a heist movie: electronic card shufflers, pre-marked cards, and tables kitted with X-ray-style abilities to separate wealthy "fish" from their money. The home reportedly even showed up in a 2023 episode of The Kardashians and later sold for about $17 million in 2024 after years of high-profile rentals. Important context: Jenner is not accused of wrongdoing, and the feds do not allege she had any role beyond the property being a venue.
• 5) Travis Scott
  Same address, same time frame. Prosecutors list 80 Washington Place as one of two Manhattan homes used for those alleged mafia-backed poker games. Scott lived there in 2021 when he and Jenner were together. The filings say marked cards and electronic shufflers were employed to cheat players, but Scott is not charged, and there is nothing in the documents that suggests he knew those games were happening. The celebrity proximity is what draws attention here, not evidence of involvement.
• 4) Terry Rozier
  Rozier was arrested and placed on indefinite leave by the NBA. According to the indictments, while he was with the Charlotte Hornets in March 2023, Rozier allegedly told his childhood friend Deniro Laster that he would pull himself from a game due to foot pain. Laster then allegedly sold that inside information to bettors for roughly $100,000, leading to wagers totaling in the hundreds of thousands. Prosecutors say Rozier helped facilitate travel for Laster to collect money and even counted cash at his home. Rozier’s attorney denies any wrongdoing. The Heat have stayed quiet on the legal specifics, but the locker room felt his absence. Heat captain Bam Adebayo put it simply:

  "That’s our brother at the end of the day. It felt kind of weird without him being here, actually, because he’s the first person I get to talk to in the morning. He brings that great energy to our team."

  Head coach Erik Spoelstra kept the team locked in on the schedule:

  "You’re left with no other choice. You have to learn how to compartmentalize and focus on the most immediate thing. That’s preparing for an important game tonight."

• 3) Chauncey Billups
  The Trail Blazers coach was arrested in a separate case tied to the alleged New York poker operation. Per CNN and USA Today, prosecutors say former athletes were used as "face cards" to lure wealthy marks, while the games were secretly rigged with X-ray-capable tables and pre-marked decks. U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said the Bonanno, Gambino, and Genovese families were behind the NYC games and referred to victims as "fish." Billups appeared before Judge Jolie Russo in U.S. District Court in Portland and was released on Thursday. He is due next in the Eastern District of New York on November 24, according to the New York Times. His attorney, Chris Heywood, was unequivocal:

  "Men of integrity do not cheat and defraud others. He will fight these allegations with the same tenacity that marked his 28-year career. We look forward to our day in court."

  Billups agreed to travel restrictions, surrendered his passport, and is prohibited from gambling while the case plays out. He and his wife, Piper, have three daughters.
• 2) Damon Jones
  The former NBA guard and assistant coach is charged in both lanes: the sports betting scheme and the illegal poker operation, according to CNN. The Department of Justice alleges Jones repeatedly shared and sold non-public details about NBA games — lineup choices and medical info — to his co-conspirators. One cited example involves two Los Angeles Lakers games, including February 9, 2023, against the Milwaukee Bucks, when LeBron James was injured. A text attributed to Jones reads:

  "Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out! [Player 3] is out tonight. Bet enough so Djones can eat to now!!!"

  The Athletic reports James had no knowledge of Jones’s alleged scheme.
• 1) LeBron James
  James is referred to in the documents as "Player 3," and his injury status is cited as inside information that Jones allegedly tried to monetize. That is the extent of it. He is not charged, the Lakers have not commented, and multiple reports say there is no evidence he knew about or participated in the alleged betting or poker operations.

A few big-picture notes to keep this straight. Per FBI reports and the DOJ, more than 30 people have been indicted so far, a mix of organized crime figures and basketball-world names. The poker operation reads like a high-end sting — mafia-backed nights hosted in luxury spaces, trick tables, and pre-marked decks to tilt the odds. The betting side centers on alleged leaks (and in some cases, manipulation) of game-related information for profit. And yes, it is jarring to see an A-list celebrity rental dragged into the filings even though the tenants themselves are not accused of anything.

What happens next: the investigation is ongoing, and both the NBA and federal authorities say more indictments are possible. Billups has a court date on the calendar. Rozier is on leave while his case moves forward. Jones’s alleged texts are already out in the wild. And the league is going to have to answer hard questions about how it polices inside information and protects the integrity of games in a world where prop bets are one tap away.