Associated Press
Oct 24, 2025, 11:35 PM ET
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Stunned by the arrest of head coach Chauncey Billups in a sprawling alleged poker scheme, the Portland Trail Blazers took to the court Friday night under an interim coach as they navigated an unexpectedly tumultuous start to the new season.
Billups and Miami Heat player Terry Rozier were among those arrested Thursday for what federal law enforcement officials described as their involvement in various illicit gambling activities. Billups was charged with participating in a conspiracy to fix high-stakes card games.
The 49-year-old coach was arrested at his Lake Oswego home before dawn Thursday, just hours after the Blazers lost their season opener at home to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The mood was somber in the Blazers' locker room before Friday night's game against the Golden State Warriors. Few players wanted to talk.
"It's not an easy situation. We're thinking about him and his family," forward Deni Avdija said. "We really love Chauncey and what he's done for this organization. I don't know the details, and I don't really want to get into that. I'm trying to focus on the game."
The NBA placed Billups and Rozier on leave following their arrests, and the Blazers named assistant coach and former NBA player Tiago Splitter interim head coach.
Splitter spoke to the media before the game against the Warriors and was peppered with questions about the team's mood upon learning of Billups arrest.
"Not great, not great. But like I said, we've got to move forward, we've a job to do," Splitter said. "We have a great opportunity in front of us to have a good season with this team and I'm excited about that."
Splitter, 40, joined Billups' staff in June. A 6-foot-11 center from Brazil, Splitter played seven years in the NBA with San Antonio, Atlanta and Philadelphia before officially retiring from basketball in 2018. He won an NBA championship in 2014 with the Spurs.
He previously served as head coach for Paris Basketball in the top French league for one season after a stint as an assistant for the Houston Rockets.
Billups' arrest came as the new season opened with positive buzz surrounding the team.
The Blazers had cultivated a core of promising young stars, including Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Toumani Camara. They also brought back beloved guard Damian Lillard, who played his first 11 seasons in Portland before trying unsuccessfully to chase a championship with the Milwaukee Bucks for two seasons.
Beloved in Portland, Lillard wasn't expected to play this season while he rehabs an Achilles injury, but he was feted with a standing ovation at the season opener and has said he'll help mentor the team's young talent.
"I was stunned. Shocked. I think everybody was," said fan Mitch Weaver, who was at Friday's game wearing a Trail Blazers sweatshirt. "We had Dame back. Everything was looking up."
The uncertainty of the team's future was settled in the offseason when the estate of late owner Paul Allen struck a deal to sell the team to a group led by Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon, who vowed to keep the team in Portland.
Billups was charged with being involved in a poker scheme that federal officials said cheated victims out of at least $7 million. Billups was one of 31 people arrested on the poker-related charges, and some of those arrested were, according to officials, members of three Mafia families.
Last season Billups guided the team to a 36-46 record, but Portland missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season. He signed a multiyear contract extension in April and was embarking on his fifth season with the team.
Billups had an NBA playing career that spanned 17 seasons. He won a championship with Detroit in 2004 and was named the Finals MVP. A five-time All-Star, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in October 2024.
