Gambling probe tests the resilience that helped Chauncey Billups soar to the Basketball Hall of Fame

DETROIT Chauncey Billups earned a spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame a year ago recognizing his resilience and clutch play in a championship-winning NBA career His ability to bounce back and make all the right moves is being put to an entirely different test by a gambling embarrassment Billups who was placed on leave as coach of the Portland Trail Blazers was one of more than people arrested last week for what federal law enforcement personnel described as their involvement in various illicit gambling events The coach was alleged to have participated in a conspiracy to fix high-stakes poker games with ties to three Mafia families He also matches the credentials of someone described only as Co-Conspirator in an indictment detailing how a few people gave bettors inside information on athlete healthcare statuses My message to the defendants who ve been rounded up at present is this Your winning streak has ended Joseph Nocella the top federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of New York reported in outlining the charges Billups alleged involvement was stunning for someone with a sterling reputation earning the NBA s sportsmanship award in while playing for his hometown Denver Nuggets Los Angeles Clippers coach Tyronn Lue who calls Billups his best friend stated he spoke with Billups on the day he was arrested and was encouraged by what he heard during the conversation Detroit Pistons coach J B Bickerstaff commented he hates to see what Billups is going through as a friend he has had since middle school I think everyone necessities to allow due process to happen and then obviously judgments can be made Bickerstaff explained on Sunday You feel for anyone you ve known and have a relationship with and know his family well I know he s going through it he added It s a complex time for him Pressure is nothing new to me Billups who is married and has three daughters was arrested at his home in Oregon before dawn last Thursday Hours earlier the Trail Blazers lost their season opener at home to Minnesota After tipping off his fifth season in Portland Billups was inquired if he felt pressure because the franchise s new ownership group attended the encounter That pressure thing is nothing to me man Billups reported in his last citizens comments on Oct I do the best I can and let the chips fall where they may You know that about me by now Billups appeared before a judge in Oregon and was distributed from custody on conditions His attorney Chris Heywood denied the claims To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal ruling body is accusing him of is to believe that he would vulnerability his Hall of Fame legacy his reputation and his freedom Heywood disclosed He would not jeopardize those things for anything let alone a card encounter The -year-old Billups grew up in Denver s Park Hill neighborhood and starred in college for the Colorado Buffaloes Boston drafted him No overall in and he bounced around the league getting traded during his rookie year twice more over the next two years Billups signed with Minnesota in as a free agent and after two solid seasons he leveraged his value to sign a million six-year contract with the Pistons Billups was known as Mr Big Shot He was known as Mr Big Shot because of his knack of making clutch shots in the Motor City where he exposed his groove as a athlete and later had his No Pistons jersey retired as one of the greater part popular players in any sport in Michigan Billups guided Detroit to its third NBA championship in and the NBA Finals the following year during a run of six straight appearances in the Eastern Conference finals The Pistons later traded him to Denver for his second stint with the franchise After Billups went on to play for the New York Knicks and Clippers he closed his five-time All-Star career in Detroit during the - season with more than million in earnings Related Articles Grading The Week Chauncey Billups arrest FBI charges Michael Porter Jr warned us what was coming Broncos HC Sean Payton Gambling shame involving good friend Chauncey Billups hits heavy David Adelman after Chauncey Billups Terry Rozier arrests connected to sports gambling Just hoping for the best for everybody Renck Chauncey Billups arrest for gambling leaves those who knew him heartbroken sad Feds allege Chauncey Billups was face card in high-stakes Mafia-backed poker scam Billups started his career as a TV analyst the next year a role he gave up to pursue a coaching career with the Clippers under Lue He was hired as Portland s coach in and signed a multi-year extension with the Trail Blazers last April and has a career - record as an coach in the league The NBA in reaction to the arrests of Billups and Miami guard Terry Rozier for their alleged role in gambling schemes has started a review of how the league can protect not just the integrity of the challenge but its players and coaches as well The league made those revelations in a memo sent to all teams a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed Want more Nuggets news Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis