The NBA has a major gambling problem on its hands. Portland Trailblazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat player Terry Rozier, and former NBA player Damon Jones, have all been arrested for their roles in illegal gambling activities.
Notably, Billups allegedly ran illegal poker games in which he had an elaborate cheating scheme. Now, another head coach has found himself tied up in the situation.
“According to multiple sources with direct knowledge of that April 2019 game in Vegas that we’ve been discussing—the same one where Billups was allegedly profiting off of an extremely suspicious hand and a rigged shuffling machine—another ‘face card’ in attendance was current Los Angeles Clippers head coach Ty Lue. At the time, Lue was an assistant coach for the Clippers,” reported Pablo Torre.
“Now, sources say that Lue did not play at the same table as Chauncey Billups—the man he recently called his best friend, and the same man whom Lue would go on to hire as a Clippers assistant in 2020, once he landed the head coaching job. But here’s the open secret around the NBA: Ty Lue lives in Vegas during the offseason. He also loves poker. He’s often seen at what many insiders consider the nexus of the NBA poker world—the Aria High Limit Bar—often alongside another retired NBA player: Damon Jones.”
Ty Lue was reportedly in attendance at one of Chauncey Billups’ poker games, per @PabloTorre
"According to multiple sources with direct knowledge of that April 2019 game in Vegas that we’ve been discussing—the same one where Billups was allegedly profiting off of an extremely… pic.twitter.com/9vF6ffZ9NJ
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 30, 2025
Fans reacted to the bombshell on social media.
“The plot thickens… Now was he a perpetrator or a victim of the scheme?” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“After what i been seeing this season just give him life,” one Clipppers fan added.
“Ty Lue rotations and the way he’s gives up on games is weird. If anything comes out about him I wouldn’t be shocked,” someone else added.
It’ll be intersesting to see just how deep all of this goes.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.