https://www.scmp.com/rss/524218/feed Chauncey Billups is the current Head Coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, a position he took up in June 2021. Previously, he served as an Assistant Coach for the Los Angeles Clippers from 2020 to 2021. Billups enjoyed a distinguished 17-season playing career in the NBA, most notably with the Detroit Pistons, where he secured the 2004 NBA Championship and was named Finals MVP. A five-time NBA All-Star, he earned the moniker "Mr. Big Shot" for his clutch performances. His coaching responsibilities... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones is set to plead guilty on Tuesday to charges he cashed in on rigged poker games and gave sports bettors non-public injury information about stars, including his one-time teammate LeBron James. Barring a last-minute change, Jones will become the first person to plead guilty in a gambling sweep that led to the arrests of more than 30 people, including reputed mobsters and other basketball figures. None of the other defendants have shown a... https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3351669/ex-nba-player-damon-jones-plead-guilty-gambling-sweep-saw-more-30-arrests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3351669/ex-nba-player-damon-jones-plead-guilty-gambling-sweep-saw-more-30-arrests?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:00:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters Pennsylvania federal prosecutors on Thursday announced charges against 26 people for allegedly rigging bets on college and Chinese professional basketball games, the latest case to accuse athletes of cheating at legalised sports betting that ⁠has exploded in popularity in the US. A 70-page indictment names more than a dozen former National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball players, a former NBA player and two sports-betting influencers who were previously charged in a sweeping NBA... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340066/us-charges-20-people-rigging-university-chinese-basketball-games-nbc-reports?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340066/us-charges-20-people-rigging-university-chinese-basketball-games-nbc-reports?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 16:48:28 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The NBA has reminded its teams it wants to control which types of bets are offered on its games, an indicator it will continue negotiating with sportsbooks and regulatory agencies to make that happen. In a move about two months after the arrests of Miami guard Terry Rozier and Portland coach Chauncey Billups on separate gambling-related charges, the league acknowledged that what was announced on Friday was to “further promote understanding of and adherence to the league’s betting rules.” A copy... https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3337183/nba-tweaks-its-injury-reporting-rules-still-wants-changes-prop-betting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3337183/nba-tweaks-its-injury-reporting-rules-still-wants-changes-prop-betting?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Dec 2025 10:37:20 +0000 Reuters Reuters Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups pleaded not guilty in Brooklyn federal court on Monday in a sweeping criminal case accusing the NBA hall of famer of conspiring with the mafia to rig illicit poker games. The arraignment took place during a hearing for all 31 defendants in the case. Prosecutors say they orchestrated an elaborate scheme using pro athletes’ star power to lure victims to card games then cheat them using hi-tech equipment. Billups’ lawyer Marc Mukasey entered the plea on... https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3333984/portland-trail-blazers-coach-chauncey-billups-enter-plea-rigged-poker-games-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3333984/portland-trail-blazers-coach-chauncey-billups-enter-plea-rigged-poker-games-case?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 12:43:49 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were among more than 30 people who have been charged in connection with schemes involving illegal sports betting and rigged poker games backed by organised crime, US authorities said on Thursday. FBI Director Kash Patel and other law enforcement officials said the multiple charges involved four mafia families and organised crime networks, and “mind-boggling” amounts of fraud. Rozier’s lawyer, Jim Trusty, accused... https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3330115/portland-trail-blazers-coach-billups-heats-rozier-arrested-gambling-probe-sources-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3330115/portland-trail-blazers-coach-billups-heats-rozier-arrested-gambling-probe-sources-say?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Oct 2025 14:17:47 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press While rookie Yang Hansen prepares for his first NBA season, the Portland Trail Blazers are getting ready for the onslaught of attention their Chinese big man will bring to the team. Expectations are high for the 20-year-old, who has faced the inevitable comparisons to fellow countryman and former NBA great Yao Ming. Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said the 7ft 1in (2.15m) centre would be “right there in the mix” in Portland’s plans this season. “I think Hansen’s done a really good job these last... https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3327364/chinas-trail-blazers-rookie-yang-hansen-faces-great-expectations-portland-and-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3327364/chinas-trail-blazers-rookie-yang-hansen-faces-great-expectations-portland-and-home?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Sep 2025 09:30:08 +0000 Lars Hamer Lars Hamer China’s new basketball golden boy, Yang Hansen, has been handed the No 16 jersey for the Portland Trail Blazers, a nod to the draft pick that stunned fans across the world. Yang was selected 16th overall in the NBA draft in New York last week, a move that was called “unconventional” and what one league executive said was the “wildest pick I’ve ever seen”. The 20-yer-old could feature for the Portland Trail Blazers as soon as July 11, when his side take on the Golden State Warriors in the NBA... https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3316237/yang-hansen-just-good-he-could-start-game-right-now-trail-blazers-coach-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/china/article/3316237/yang-hansen-just-good-he-could-start-game-right-now-trail-blazers-coach-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Jun 2025 03:00:14 +0000