In his nearly two-decade N.B.A. career, Chauncey Billups developed a reputation as a point guard who delivered in big moments, earning him the nickname “Mr. Big Shot.”
The Boston Celtics selected him with the third overall pick in the 1997 draft, but his career didn’t fully take off until he arrived in Detroit in 2002, when he went from a young player with potential to a fixture in the league’s All-Star Game.
Mr. Billups made five straight All-Star appearances between 2006 and 2010. But the biggest moment of his career came in 2004, when he helped lead the Pistons to an improbable N.B.A. championship over the Los Angeles Lakers, then a powerhouse led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. It was the Pistons’ first championship since 1990.
He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame last year, after a 17-year-career that also included stops in Minnesota, Denver and New York.
His career, however, started with controversy. During his rookie season in Boston, a woman accused Mr. Billups of sexually assaulting her at the home of a teammate, Antoine Walker. No criminal charges were filed and Mr. Billups reached an out-of-court settlement with the woman in 2000.
After Mr. Billups retired in 2014, he worked as an ESPN analyst before pivoting to a career as a coach. He spent one year as an assistant with the Los Angeles Clippers before being hired as the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers in 2021. At the time, Mr. Billups’s hiring was considered unconventional, given his minimal coaching experience. But Blazers executives said they believed his playing experience would be valuable in leading a roster filled young talent.
In his first four years as head coach, the Trail Blazers mostly languished near the bottom of the league. But last season was Mr. Billups’s high mark: The team finished with a record of 36-46 and briefly made a push for the playoffs.
This season, Mr. Billups’s fifth as coach, the Blazers were expected to make a playoff run under his leadership.
But after Mr. Billups was arrested on Thursday in connection with a gambling scheme, the N.B.A. said he had been placed on immediate leave.
Sopan Deb is a Times reporter covering breaking news and culture.
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