Chauncey Billups (Photo by Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES – Ever since he unexpectedly became the Portland Trail Blazers’ head coach, Tiago Splitter has tried to keep his conversations limited to basketball.
But with the FBI arresting former Blazers coach Chauncey Billups on Thursday as part of an investigation into his involvement in illegal sports betting and rigged poker games, Splitter has also given his players a message unrelated to Xs and Os.
“Be careful with what you say,” Splitter recalled telling his players. “Be careful with the whole situation.”
After all, the Blazers have deferred questions to the NBA after announcing they placed Billups on administrative leave. Portland has also instructed its players and staff members not to contact Billups out of respect for the FBI’s investigation. But one notable Blazers player offered public sympathy to a coach who had strong equity for both his Hall-of-Fame player resume and how he led with constructive and positive feedback.
“We love Chauncey and his family,” Blazers veteran guard Jrue Holiday said. “We’re praying for him.”
So is LA Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, who became friends with Chauncey when he was 17 years old. Nearly three decades later, Billups worked as Lue’s lead assistant coach with the Clippers during the 2020-21 season. After Billups became the Blazers’ head coach before the 2021-22 season, Lue and Billups still stayed in touch. Lue’s relationship with Billups remained so strong that he and his wife, Piper, named Lue the godfather of their three daughters.
No wonder Lue conceded that the news became “hard to process” this past week.
“I believe in Chauncey’s character,” Lue said. “I know who he is as a person. I’ve been with him since I was 17 years old. So it’s hard to see something like this happen. So he has my love and support always.”
Unlike the Blazers, Lue doesn’t have such restrictions with contacting Billups. So shortly after Billups’ arrest, Lue said he talked with him on the phone.
“When you know somebody for so long, you can just tell by their voice just listening to his voice if he’s okay,” Lue said. “He’s confident with what’s going on. The toughest part is what his family is going through and his daughters. But other than that, he’s very confident about the situation. So just hearing his voice, I can see he’s okay. So that was good to hear.”
Difficult Situation for Portland
The Blazers have heard plenty about Billups’ arrest both internally and externally. During the Blazers’ 114-107 loss to the LA Clippers on Sunday, Clippers fans shouted “FBI” in “the Wall” section numerous times when the Blazers shot free throws.
Ever since Splitter’s unexpected promotion, he leaned on various coaching mentors who shaped him during his seven-year NBA career and six years as an NBA assistant coach. That included former San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, former Philadelphia 76ers coach Brett Brown, and former Phoenix Suns coach Mike Budenholzer. Splitter noted they all wished him luck while also observing “how crazy I am to be in this position.”
Though Splitter has acknowledged the unexpected gravity of the situation, he has implored his players not to become consumed with it.
“We don’t want to be talking about the outside. We want to play,” Splitter said. “We want to talk about basketball. I know you guys want the news. You guys want a quote from me or from a player. I understand. That’s your job. But at the end of the day, we want to play basketball.”
Easier said than done.
The Blazers entered the 2025-26 season expected to endure a rebuilding season while they wait for Damian Lillard to heal likely all season from his left Achilles tendon injury and for their young roster to fully blossom.
After losing on opening night to the Minnesota Timberwolves last Wednesday, the Blazers woke up to the surprising news about Billups’ arrest. Nonetheless, Portland unexpectedly beat the Golden State Warriors the following night. On Sunday, the Blazers still showcased their resilience against a Clippers team featuring established veterans, including Kawhi Leonard (30 points), Ivica Zubac (21), and James Harden (20).
“I promise you guys this is what we’re going to do every night,” Splitter said. “We’re going to compete.”
The Blazers (1-2) will have to do the same thing on Monday against the Los Angeles Lakers (2-1). Though LeBron James (sciatica) and Luka Dončić (left lower leg contusion) remain sidelined, Lakers guard Austin Reaves posted 51 points against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. Still, the Blazers featured plenty of balance against the Clippers, including Deni Avdija (23 points), Holiday (21), Shaedon Sharpe (19), and Jerami Grant (17).
Though the Blazers shot only 37% from the field and 26.8% from 3, they stayed resilient partly because of Splitter’s leadership.
“Tiago has been handling it very nice and very good,” Avdija said. “He knows how to talk to us. He knows how to prepare us. His basketball knowledge is very good. Other than that, I don’t want to get into that too much.”
Neither did Lillard, who respectfully declined to speak to reporters before and after Sunday’s game. But Splitter called Lillard a “great leader” both for guiding the team following Billups’ firing and with their development in between his rehab work. The Blazers also consider Holiday to be valuable for his two-way presence, championship experience with the Milwaukee Bucks (2021) and for how he has shared his wisdom in a respectful way.
“Honestly, I’m just being me,” Holiday said. “Playing my game, which is what they want. They might have some questions. Some things that I see, I’ll definitely speak up and mention. But for the most part, I think being myself is a bigger part, especially with us as basketball players. We can tell when somebody is trying to force leadership or force dominance over somebody else. So I feel like I’m pretty laid back.”
When it came toward discussing the Blazers’ challenging week, however, Holiday found it important both to support Billups’ publicly while stressing the need to have what he called “a short-term memory.”
“We also have a job to do,” Holiday said. “Our job is to go out here and win basketball games and do it the right way and do it how we’ve done it ever since we’ve gotten together. So that’s what we’ll continue to try to do.”