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Shaq Blasts Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier for Alleged Involvement in Gambling Scandal

Kristen Wong

Shaquille O'Neal weighed in on the recent arrests and indictments of Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier, among others, amid the federal government's ongoing sports gambling investigation.
Shaquille O'Neal weighed in on the recent arrests and indictments of Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier, among others, amid the federal government's ongoing sports gambling investigation. / Screengrab on Twitter/ @SportsCenter
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Shaq had absolutely no pity for the NBA players and coaches who were arrested as part of the federal government's mob-linked sports gambling investigation that has taken the league by storm.

In what FBI director Kash Patel called an "insider trading saga for the NBA," Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones were arrested and indicted for their alleged involvement in separate cases of performance rigging and sharing inside information about NBA games, as well as fixing illegal poker games.

During Thursday night's Inside the NBA segment, Shaq weighed in on the ongoing investigation and fiercely scolded all those who allegedly committed crimes.

"You all know the letter of the law when it comes to gambling and sports gambling," Shaq said. "I don't want to sit up here like some perfect guy... I know Chauncey, I know Damon very well—I played with Damon—but I'm ashamed that those guys would put their families and their careers in jeopardy.

"There's an old saying in the hood: all money ain't good money. So if you're making $9 million dollars, how much more do you need? ... I agree with you, Chuck, they dropped the ball. You never want to have your name involved in that when you know the letter of the law."

Many around the league likely share Shaq's sentiments given the severity of the accusations levied against Billups, Rozier and others. Billups and Rozier have since been placed on immediate leave by the NBA amid the ongoing investigation.

Billups's attorney recently released a statement in which he maintained Billups's innocence and announced his client's plan to fight the allegations in court.

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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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