Two prominent NBA figures have been arrested as part of FBI investigations into illegal gambling. Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups were taken into custody early Thursday—Rozier at a hotel in Orlando, Florida, and Billups in Oregon.
The arrests come amid a broader crackdown on sports gambling following a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a federal ban on sports betting in most states, leading to a surge in gambling-related incidents involving athletes and officials.
Major sports leagues have taken action: the NFL has suspended at least 15 players for gambling violations since 1963, including Hall of Famers Paul Hornung and Alex Karras. More recently, Atlanta receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended for the 2022 season for betting on NFL games.
Baseball's infamous 'Black Sox Scandal' saw eight Chicago White Sox players banned for life in 1920 for fixing the 1919 World Series. Pete Rose, baseball's all-time hits leader, received a lifetime ban in 1989 for betting on his own team, the Cincinnati Reds.
Other sports have also been affected: NHL players Billy Taylor and Don Gallinger received lifetime bans for betting, and former Wales rugby captain Rob Howley was sent home from the 2019 Rugby World Cup for placing 363 bets, including on his own team.
