NBA news: Chauncey Billups hires Trump’s former lawyer in gambling probe

Chauncey Billups has hired famed attorney Marc Mukasey, who has defended President Donald Trump in the past, to represent him in the federal investigation into allegations of illegal gambling. The Athletic was first to report the news, and Mukasey confirmed it in an email to Fox News Digital.

Mukasey has represented Trump and his organization in several cases, including when the New York attorney general sued Trump for alleged use of his charity for personal and political purposes and when Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. subpoenaed Trump’s accounting firm Mazars USA for tax returns and financial records as part of a state grand jury investigation.

Mukasey also represented FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried during sentencing on fraud and conspiracy charges, as well as Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher, who was acquitted of murder.

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The Los Angeles Clippers head coach is currently facing charges of both wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy for knowingly competing in and benefiting from rigged poker games.

Billups is allegedly named as one of the “face cards” in the indictment, who are described as “members of the Cheat Teams and received a portion of the proceeds of crime in exchange for their participation in the scheme.” The scheme caused victims to lose at least $7.15 million by April 2019, according to the Department of Justice.

Billups “was used to lure victims into games because [his] “He has former professional athlete status,” the DOJ said.

Billups was one of five defendants who “arranged and participated in rigged poker games using a rigged shuffling machine” in Las Vegas, and the victims lost at least $50,000. One of the defendants texted another accomplice, saying Billups had to deliberately lose his hand to avoid suspicions of cheating.

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups watches from the sidelines during the first half of a game against the San Antonio Spurs at the Moda Center on April 6, 2025 in Portland, Oregon. (Soobum Im/Imagn Images)

WHO ARE CHAUNCEY BILLUPS, TERRY ROZIER AND DAMON JONES? PEOPLE ARRESTED IN NBA ILLEGAL GAMBLING INVESTIGATION PROBLEM

During that match, a defendant said Billups “star-struck” him because one of the victims “acted like he wanted Chauncey to get his money,” according to authorities.

In October 2020, $50,000 was allegedly wired to Billups following a fraudulent poker game.

Billups is not involved in the sports betting scandal that led to Terry Rozier’s arrest. However, the Department of Justice cited the Trail Blazers-Chicago Bulls game on March 24, 2023, one day after Terry Rozier’s alleged misconduct; During that encounter, a co-conspirator “who was an NBA coach at the time” allegedly told a longtime friend who was also a defendant in the fraudulent poker scheme that the Blazers would “tank” for a better draft pick that night and sit some of the team’s best players. The rest of the cast has not yet been publicly announced. The team’s four top scorers, including Damian Lillard, did not play that night because other conspirators allegedly bet more than $100,000 combined against Portland. The Trail Blazers lost by 28 points.

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups walks toward a vehicle after appearing in federal court on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in Portland, Oregon. (Jenny Kane/AP)

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The “co-conspirator” in question is listed as a former NBA player whose career spanned “approximately 1997 to 2014” and “an NBA coach since at least 2021.” Only Billups fits this criterion.

Billups denied any wrongdoing through a statement from his attorney. He, along with Terry Rozier, was placed on immediate leave from the Clippers and “we will continue to cooperate with the appropriate authorities.”

“The integrity of our game remains our top priority,” the NBA said.

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