Indictments against N.B.A. players and at least one coach are expected to be unsealed on Thursday morning in one of the largest-scale investigations in professional sports over the past several years.
The case, which involves at least two criminal schemes, according to people with knowledge of the matter, has been in the works for months but exploded into public awareness on Thursday morning when Terry Rozier, a guard for the Miami Heat, and Chauncey Billups, the coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, were arrested in Orlando and Portland, according to two law enforcement officials.
Some people participated in both schemes, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. One involved illegal poker games that were set up by organized crime families and also involved at least one N.B.A. coach and former players in the league, according to three law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation.
The case is expected to involve more than two dozen defendants, according to two people with knowledge of the matter, and to involve charges of gambling, money laundering and wire fraud.
For more than a year, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have focused on illegal gambling operations involving professional athletes. In 2024, a Brooklyn man was charged for his role in an illegal sports betting scheme involving Jontay Porter, a forward for the Toronto Raptors. Porter, who was not charged, was banned for life by the N.B.A. later that year.
But the charges against Rozier and Billups, bigger names than Porter, represent a far more wide-ranging scandal for the N.B.A., and potentially the biggest hit to its reputation since 2007, when the referee Tim Donaghy was found to have bet on N.B.A. games.
Rozier, 31, is in his 11th season in the N.B.A. and has been a key role player for several teams. Rozier did not play in his team’s season-opener last night in Orlando.
Billups, 49, is in his fifth season as a coach in Portland. As a player, Billups made five All-Star Games and starred for the Detroit Pistons, leading the team to the 2004 N.B.A. title, when he was named the most valuable player of the N.B.A. finals.
It was unclear whether either man had legal representation. Rozier’s agent, Aaron Turner, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Representatives for the N.B.A., the Trail Blazers and the Heat did not immediate respond to a request for comment.
Chelsia Rose Marcius and William K. Rashbaum contributed reporting.
Santul Nerkar is a Times reporter covering federal courts in Brooklyn.
Maria Cramer is a Times reporter covering the New York Police Department and crime in the city and surrounding areas.
Tania Ganguli writes about money, power and influence in sports and how it impacts the broader culture.
Jonah E. Bromwich covers criminal justice in the New York region for The Times. He is focused on political influence and its effect on the rule of law in the area’s federal and state courts.
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