NBA salaries of Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier withheld

The union representing NBA players said Wednesday it will appeal the pay suspension. Miami Heat Guard Terry Rozier, who was arrested last week on charges related to an alleged basketball betting ring.

Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers CNBC has confirmed that head coach Chauncey Billups was placed on leave by the NBA following his arrest Thursday in separate gambling-related cases, resulting in his multimillion-dollar salaries being withheld by the respective teams.

“While we agree with the league that protecting the integrity of the game is of the utmost importance, their decision to place Terry on unpaid leave violates the presumption of innocence and is contrary to the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement,” a spokesperson for Natioal said in a statement to CNBC from the National Basketball Players Association.

“We plan to appeal their decision through appropriate channels,” the spokesman said.

Rozier’s salary That’s about $26.6 million for this season.

Billups was a former Detroit Pistons player. Basketball Hall of Fame In 2024, he reportedly earned around $4.7 million for the 2024-25 season.

In April, the Trail Blazers signed him to a multi-year contract extension through the 2026-27 season for an undisclosed amount.

The Associated Press first reported that Billups and Rozier had their salaries cut. CNBC confirmed this with people familiar with the matter.

CNBC requested comment from the men’s lawyers.

The Heat declined to comment and the Trail Blazers came forward about the salary suspensions, which came two days after the NBA said it was conducting a broad review of betting-related matters to “protect the integrity of the NBA and our affiliated leagues.”

A large IRS tax lien on Rozier’s Florida home is for the wrong amount and should be removed soon by the tax agency, Rozier’s attorney, Jim Trusty, told CNBC on Wednesday.

“Several years ago, a flawed e-filing attempt led to the IRS garnishing nearly $8 million for Terry’s entire 2021 tax debt,” Trusty said.

“After the accountant cleared the situation with the IRS, it was determined that Terry only owed $3,000 in unpaid taxes for 2021,” Trusty said. “This amount has been settled and we fully expect the terminated lien to be withdrawn in the near future.”

Billups, 49, and Rozier, 31, are charged in separate indictments in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, New York.

Rozier, along with five other defendants, is accused of allegedly engaging in a conspiracy that involved leaking or obtaining confidential information about basketball players and teams to gamblers, who then used that information to place bets.

Rozier is specifically accused of telling a defendant in the same lawsuit that he planned to leave a game early in March 2023 while playing for the Charlotte Hornets because of the alleged injury.

The indictment alleges that he and two other men charged in the same indictment then used that information to place so-called prop bets totaling more than $200,000 that Rozier would statistically underperform in certain areas of the game. According to the indictment, most of those bets paid off when Rozier exited the game after just nine minutes.

Rozier’s attorney, Trusty, denies any wrongdoing by Rozier.

“Terry is not a gambler but he is not afraid of a fight and is looking forward to winning it,” Trusty said last week.

Billups is accused of allegedly participating in a scheme by mob members to defraud players of millions of dollars in underground poker games using cheating devices.

Billups’ attorney, Chris Heywood, did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday regarding the coach’s salary situation.

“Anyone who knows Chauncey Billups knows that he is an honest man; honest men do not deceive or defraud others,” Heywood said last week.