Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier have been placed on “immediate leave” following their arrests for alleged involvement in illegal gambling.
In a brief statement issued after news of the arrests sent shockwaves through the sport, the league said it was co-operating with authoritiesin the investigation.
“We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictments announced today,” the NBA statement said.
“Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups are being placed on immediate leave from their teams, and we will continue to co-operate with the relevant authorities.
“We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority.”
Billups, a former Detroit Pistons star and a member of the National Basketball Association Hall of Fame, was arrested in connection with rigged illegal poker games tied to Mafia crime families, FBI Director Kash Patel said earlier in New York.
Rozier and a former NBA player and assistant coach, Damon Jones, were among six people arrested in a sports betting case, Patel added.
