It was not all that long ago that allegations surrounding the head coach of the Boston Celtics threw a massive wrench into the plans of the team for the season. Now, another NBA ball club is dealing with a massive scandal of their own that has sucked in the coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, Celtics alum Chauncey Billups. Allegedly implicated in a mafia-connected poker scheme, Billups has been suspended while the situation plays out with the authorities and the league in the coming weeks and months.
But the Boston ties do not stop with the Billups connection, with Cs alum Terry Rozier also caught up in the FBI sting for sharing information about an early exit with a gambling ring. On top of that, recent Celtics arrival Anfernee Simons was suiting up for Billups in Portland not so long ago as well, and had some words about what was going on with his former coach ahead of Boston’s tilt vs. the New York Knicks on Friday (Oct. 24). “It’s definitely an unfortunate situation,” said Simons. “You never want somebody to be in that situation in general.”
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“I’m just praying for him and his family, everybody involved,” added the Celtics guard. “And that’s all you can do.”
BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 22: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics reacts with teammate Anfernee Simons #4 in the third quarter of the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at TD Garden on October 22, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
Teammate Jaylen Brown took a different tack with the news about Rozier, who Brown played with early in his Celtics career. “I’m not completely sure what’s going on,” he explained, “but definitely as my job as vice president in the union is to get to the bottom of it and figure it out. I know some of those guys personally … Terry played here. It’s not conducive of his character, but we’ll get to the bottom of it as a union and figure out what the next steps for it are.”
Brown voiced concern over the ubiquity of gambling in the sport and what it brings to the players. “I think a lot more could have been done to help players or prepare players, but even in the aftermath, I don’t think there’s much care or attention to detail going into it,” he explained. “(…) It creates a negative discourse around the game and players when people have money involved.”
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Brown, Simons weigh in on Celtics alums caught in FBI gambling sting