DJ Akademiks recently wondered why the media was shining a spotlight on Chauncey Billups instead of the other defendants arrested as part of the FBI investigation into an illegal gambling ring. On October 23, 2025, over 30 people were arrested due to their alleged involvement in two illegal gambling schemes, one that involved alleged betting irregularities and the other involving underground poker games.Billups, the Portland Trail Blazers head coach, was accused of participating in illegal poker games backed by major crime families in New York. He was arrested in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday and arraigned in court.The indictment alleged the defendants lured victims to play poker against notable athletes, including Billups. Prosecutors claimed the accused rigged the games against the victims using special technology, such as rigged shuffling machines, X-ray poker tables, special contact lenses, and eyeglasses to read premarked cards, to steal millions of dollars, as reported by the BBC. chad millman @chadmillmanLINKDetails of the rigged poker games that Damon Jones and Chauncey Billups were involved (from the US Attorney press conference):+ X-ray machines built into tables to read face-down cards+ Contact lenses/glasses that read pre-marked cards.+ Secret cameras in card traysDuring his recent livestream on October 23, DJ Akademiks discussed the two indictments in length. The media personality wondered why the media coverage of Billups and other NBA stars was much higher compared to the other defendants mentioned in the indictments. He read out the names of the other defendants and pondered why they weren't receiving the "perp walk" and the "embarrassment of their mug shot, and their face on TV.""We got Chauncey Billups here. Anybody else we know? By the way, how come there are so many people in this indictment? Okay, we get it, we know Chauncey Billups. But I want to see who Zhen Hu is. Who's Zhen Hu? Where's Zhen Hu? Where's Horatio Hu? Like, where are these motherf**kers? Why don't they get the perp walk, the embarrassment of their mug shot, and their face on TV?" he questioned.Meanwhile, Miami Heat player Terry Rozier has been charged in a second indictment about betting irregularities. He has been accused of faking injuries or passing confidential information about other players' injuries to influence betting results. Kash Patel, director of the FBI, called the alleged fraud "mind-boggling" during a press conference on Thursday, adding:"This is an illegal gambling operation and sports-rigging operation that spanned the course of years. The fraud is mind-boggling. It's not hundreds of dollars. It's not thousands of dollars. It's not even millions of dollars. We're talking about tens of millions of dollars in fraud and theft and robbery across a multi-year investigation."Chauncey Billups's lawyer called him a "man of integrity"Following the indictments and the subsequent arrests, the NBA announced in an official statement that Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier were placed on "immediate leave." The association further added that it considered the allegations with "utmost seriousness," continuing that the "integrity of our game remains our top priority.”Meanwhile, Chauncey Billups denied the allegations, and his attorney, Chris Heywood, released a press statement addressing the situation, saying Billups was looking forward to fighting the allegations in court. Calling the head coach a "man of integrity," Heywood claimed that he would never risk "his all-of-fame legacy, his reputation, and his freedom" for a "card game."“Anyone who knows Chauncey Billups knows he is a man of integrity; men of integrity do not cheat and defraud others. To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal government is accusing him of is to believe that he would risk his hall-of-fame legacy, his reputation, and his freedom. He would not jeopardize those things for anything, let alone a card game,” Heywood said.He continued:"Chauncey Billups has never backed down. He does not plan to do so now. He will fight these allegations with the same tenacity that marked his 28-year career. We look forward to our day in court."Billups at the 2024 Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement (Image via Getty)According to USA Today, Billups was reportedly charged with "one count of wire-fraud conspiracy and one count of money-laundering conspiracy" in the indictment alleging he was part of rigging illegal poker games. He was not named in the other indictment about alleged sports-betting irregularities.Before becoming the Portland Trail Blazers head coach in 2021, Chauncey Billups played in the NBA for 17 years. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024.