Kash Patel accuses basketball stars of ‘getting in bed’ with crime families

FBI Director Kash Patel warned on Fox News that the “nationwide takedown” of an illegal gambling ring with alleged ties to famous basketball figures and crime families is “just the beginning.”

His interview comes after the FBI arrested Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier in connection with federal investigations into the alleged criminal ring.

“If you break the law, we will come after you,” Patel told Fox News host Laura Ingraham.

Patel claimed widespread fraud perpetrated on basketball’s “big stage” had been going on “for some time.”

“This has nothing to do with legal gambling and everything to do with people in power in places like the NBA getting into bed with La Cosa Nostra and extortion, fraud, money laundering, wire fraud and many other crimes,” he said.

NBA LEGEND CHAUNCEY BILLUPS, HEAT’S TERRY ROZIER ARRESTED AS PART OF FBI’S GAMBLING INVESTIGATION

“Your streak is over,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella said at a news conference. “You’re out of luck. Breaking the law is a losing situation, and you can bet on it.”

Billups and Rozier were among more than 30 people arrested in 11 states as part of a coordinated operation that included charges of wire fraud, extortion and illegal gambling. The fraud, theft and robbery totaled tens of millions of dollars, authorities said.

HOW CHAUNCEY BILLUPS AND DAMON JONES WERE ALLEGEDLY USED TO FORCE VICTIMS INTO ILLEGAL POKER GAMES

“These individuals got into bed with La Cosa Nostra and four of the five major crime families in New York City to build gambling empires, steal people’s money, extort people, commit wire fraud, rig games, poker games and basketball games,” Patel said on “The Ingraham Angle.” “They were under the protection of the mob in New York and across this country so they could continue this scheme to kidnap innocent victims for tens of millions of dollars.”

Patel noted the gambling ring’s alleged ties to the La Cosa Nostra and Gambino crime families. Members are alleged to have defrauded millions of victims, laundered proceeds through cryptocurrency, and rigged poker games with cheat devices.

“They actually had scanners at the poker tables, where they literally had professional athletes in the NBA walk off the court so their proposition bets could be covered,” Patel said.

FBI Director Kash Patel at a news conference in New York on October 23, 2025. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

The NBA has since placed Billups and Rozier on immediate leave, Fox News Digital reported.

“Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups are being placed on immediate leave from their teams and we will continue to cooperate with the appropriate authorities,” the league said. “We take these allegations extremely seriously, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority.”

ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith weighed in on the debate.

Stephen A. Smith at the “ESPN NBA Countdown” at the Intuit Dome on October 23, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

“…with all the protesters going out there and people protesting him, this guy is coming. He’s coming, and I’ve been saying this for a long time. To me, this is the last nugget of evidence that we’re talking about here. This is not questioning the legitimacy of the case,” he said.

Patel responded by saying Smith’s remarks may have been “the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard from anyone in modern history.”

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The FBI director maintained that the investigation was not over yet and said the cornerstone of his leadership was “following the money.”

“We will continue to work with this investigation and those arrested today to bring down the illegal gambling empires entrenched in La Cosa Nostra, whether in the NBA or anywhere else,” he said.