The LA Clippers and Portland Path Blazers confronted off Sunday night for the primary of 4 matchups this season. What was presupposed to be a battle between greatest associates Tyronn Lue and Chauncey Billups shortly turned somber following the information this previous week.
Billups, who simply began his fifth season as head coach of the Blazers, was amongst greater than 30 individuals arrested by the FBI on Thursday morning in a coordinated takedown throughout 11 states as a part of a wide-ranging federal investigation into unlawful sports activities betting and rigged poker video games.
The information despatched shockwaves all through the world, with questions concerning the allegations persevering with to pour in.
LA Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue, who considers Chauncey Billups certainly one of his greatest associates, was requested concerning the final couple of days.
“Simply unhappy that Chauncey, my greatest buddy, needed to undergo one thing like this,” Lue stated Sunday. “The allegations, his household, my goddaughters. So, it was a troublesome day and also you by no means wish to see your pals undergo something like that.
“It is exhausting to course of. Chauncey is my brother, since we had been 17 years previous. You hate to see him undergo one thing like this, alongside along with his three ladies who’re my goddaughters, his spouse Piper. Like I’ve stated, I consider in Chauncey’s character, I do know who he’s as an individual. I have been with him since I used to be 17 years previous. It is simply exhausting to see one thing like this occur. He has my love and assist at all times.”
Billups is on an indefinite go away from the Blazers pending the federal investigation and isn’t permitted to have any contact with members of the crew.
Jrue Vacation casually walks up and swishes a lefty 3-pointer from the nook on his first strive. pic.twitter.com/b6yeZwRyYl
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) October 26, 2025
Tyronn Lue, who shares an agent with Billups, stated he is nonetheless capable of talk with the group.
“I can discuss to him,” Lue added. “Yeah, I talked to him. You already know any person for therefore lengthy, you may simply inform by their voice. Simply hearken to his voice if he is okay. He is assured in what is going on on. The hardest half is simply his household going by it, his daughters, however aside from that, he is actually assured concerning the scenario so simply listening to his voice, I may simply see that he is okay in order that was simply good to listen to.”
During the last couple of days, gamers like Jaylen Brown and Al Horford have been vocal about their experiences
involving sports activities playing.
“That complete world was launched to it a pair years in the past, and I do not assume they took gamers into consideration,” Jaylen Brown stated within the days after the arrests had been made. “Particularly with the power, the conduct that goes round playing and the way that instantly correlates with gamers,” Brown stated.
“We do not profit from any of the income, however we have got to take care of a variety of the additional negativity and scrutiny behind all of the playing stuff. On prime of that, it creates extra integrity points.”
The NBA responded to Brown’s feedback with a robust assertion of their very own, reaffirming the league’s priorities and participant security.
“Defending the protection of gamers and coaches has at all times been of essential significance,” NBA spokesperson Mike Bass advised ClutchPoints. [League security] works with crew officers and regulation enforcement to answer any kind of fan conduct that violates our code of conduct – whether or not that’s in our arenas or on-line. We’ve put safeguards in place, together with social media monitoring, to trace and mitigate any potential threats or security dangers. And we now have elevated communications to followers attending video games to bolster our code of conduct and emphasize that disrespectful and abusive conduct won’t be tolerated.”
The Blazers are nonetheless getting used to life with out Billups, particularly after the group named Tiago Splitter as their interim head coach.