NBA fans can’t stop clowning the league’s gambling scandal — both in arenas and online.
During the LA Clippers’ 114–107 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, home fans broke out in chants of “FBI” as Portland stepped to the free-throw line. The NBA fans’ mockery came after Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups was arrested by the FBI over alleged federal gambling charges.
But while NBA fans took their shots, people on social media quickly turned the jokes back on them.
One fan said, “clippers fans chanting that like their owner isn’t under investigation for serious fraud by the NBA.”
clippers fans chanting that like their owner isn’t under investigation for serious fraud by the NBA 😭😭😭😭😭
— Chief (@chiefflips) October 27, 2025
Another added, “Just another day in the National Betting Association.”
A third wrote, “Their team committed fraud to circumvent the salary cap, but sure guys.”
The NBA has been under fire for weeks over gambling concerns and recently sent out a memo to all 30 teams. The league said it detected unusual betting activity on Terry Rozier’s unders in a March 2023 game and promised to explore stronger legal and regulatory measures to protect the integrity of its competitions.
“Bro traded millions and his legacy for a few hundred thousand”: NBA fans make fun of Chauncey Billups following his arrest
Earlier this week, Billups was among 31 individuals arrested by the FBI in connection with illegal gambling activities that have rocked the league, and NBA fans are of mixed feelings.
While some figures were tied to betting on player stats, reports claim Billups played a different role — allegedly helping the mafia lure wealthy gamblers into fixed high-stakes poker games.
According to ABC News’ Aaron Katersky, the mafia paid Billups to attract “high rollers” to games that were rigged using modified shuffling machines capable of reading cards and sending real-time data to an off-site operator.
U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said the group used the machines to determine which players had the strongest hands — effectively guaranteeing a rigged outcome.
NBA fans wasted no time roasting Billups, a former Finals MVP, for risking everything for quick cash.
The mafia was allegedly paying Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups to be a “face” to attract high-rollers to rigged poker games with x-rayed tables.
Some players had contact lenses that could read through cards.
This is wild.pic.twitter.com/lN6oaxg2B7
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) October 23, 2025
One of the NBA fans wrote, “Chauncey is unfortunately(for him) going to spend a good chunk if not the entire remainder of his life in prison 😭 bro traded millions and his legacy for a few hundred thousand.”
Another asked, “Did anyone within the Portland Trail Blazers organization have any personal knowledge of Billups’ alleged gambling crimes?”
A third joked, “Billups getting paid to sweet-talk high-rollers into x-rayed poker scams? Dude, that’s like trading your jump shot for a lousy bluff.”
For more basketball content, click on Hardwood Heroics. Sabel Reyes can be reached through sabelreyes22@gmail.com. Other websites under the Sports Heroics umbrella are Gridiron Heroics and Wisconsin Heroics.
Sabel has been working as a field reporter for People’s Television Network (PTV), mainly about the Philippine Basketball Association since 2016 and has been elevated to Executive Producer for sports in 2022. Aside from being on top of the Philippine sports scene, she is also a running enthusiast. You can also follow her on X at @SabelReyes2 and Instagram at @msabelreyes.
