Three NBA figures involved in the NBA illegal gambling case are discussing plea deals, according to court records.
The legal deadline for the NBA’s illegal gambling investigation may be shorter for some as several figures in the 31-person case discuss court filings, NBC News reports. The deal involves Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and former NBA player and coach Damon Jones, but the identities of those discussing the deals are not yet known.
The complex betting scandal led to the arrests – led by the FBI – of dozens of people involved at various levels of the scheme.
Why are plea deals on the table?
A plea deal, if accepted, would likely avoid court proceedings and likely provide a lighter sentence for those involved than if they went to trial.
Sometimes the plea agreement can be used to negotiate information about other people involved. In such a high-profile case, the motivation could be to resolve issues amicably and avoid increased media scrutiny, or to try to obtain damning information about more high-profile defendants.
In official court filings, federal prosecutors wrote: “Although it is too early for the government and any of the defendants to engage in substantive plea negotiations, the government and defense attorneys for several defendants have engaged in productive discussions that the government hopes will ultimately result in resolutions regarding several defendants without the need for a trial.” »
Although the identities of those debating plea deals are not known, Jones’ attorney previously told NBC that a possible plea bargain could have occurred. On the other hand, Billups reportedly entered a plea Monday, Nov. 24, which should be not guilty, according to his attorney.
Chauncey Billups pleads in illegal gambling case https://t.co/xwFqtdUWKf
-Reuters (@Reuters) November 24, 2025
All 31 defendants are expected in New York’s Eastern District Court this week for a status conference. The charges include theft, extortion, wire fraud, bank fraud and illegal gambling, with allegations that various individuals were involved in the misuse of inside information for betting purposes and the existence of rigged poker games using high-tech mechanisms.
Image posted: Keith Allison via Wikicommons / CC By-Sa
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