Who Is Chauncey Billups? What To Know About The NBA Coach

Chauncey Billups has had a very colorful career in professional sports, and he's gone through plenty of ups and downs.

The former athlete became one of the most recognizable players in the NBA during his time as a player, and he eventually returned to the game as a coach.

We're going to check out how the sports figure navigated his careers on and off the court -- and see how he ended up being caught up in a troubling investigation.

Billups was born in Denver, Colorado, and he first started grabbing attention for his skills on the court while attending George Washington High School.

The athlete helped lead the school's basketball team to two state championships in 1993 and 1994.

Billups continued his basketball career at the University of Colorado, and his jersey was eventually retired by the institution.

His time with the Buffaloes came to an end in 1997, when he was selected to play for the Boston Celtics during the NBA Draft.

Billups began his NBA career with the Celtics and went on to join numerous teams over the course of his time as a player, including the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers.

The athlete joined the Detroit Pistons in 2002, and he helped lead them to an NBA Championship title in 2004.

Oh, and it's also worth mentioning Billups was named as the NBA Finals MVP the same year.

He left the Pistons in 2008, and he bounced around from team to team before rejoining the Pistons in 2013, and he retired as a player the following year. He was eventually inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024.

Billups didn't stay away from basketball for too long, because he signed on as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers prior to its 2020-2021 season.

The former athlete remained with the team for a single season before he was hired as the Portland Trail Blazers' head coach in June 2021.

Billups ended up signing a multi-year extension with the team in April 2025, and he stated there was plenty of "promise" for the team at the time, according to ESPN.

He said he was happy about what the team had accomplished in the years since he signed on as its head coach.

Billups was arrested as part of a federal investigation into illegal gambling and rigged poker games in October 2025.

The coach was apprehended in Oregon as part of the investigation into the games, which were allegedly set up with the involvement of the Mafia, reports ESPN.

Billups is reportedly facing charges of money laundering and wire fraud conspiracy. Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was also arrested in a separate investigation into illegal gambling, and he's facing similar charges.