Just weeks before the 2025–26 NBA season tipped off, Kevin Garnett was back in the headlines but for all the right reasons. The Hall of Famer was earning widespread praise for mentoring young stars like Victor Wembanyama and helping shape the next generation of basketball talent.
However, as the new season began, the tone of those headlines took a sharp and unexpected turn. Garnett’s name is now at the center of an entirely different kind of story. It involves an alleged underground gambling scandal that’s shaking parts of the basketball world.
What Has Been Revealed Regarding Kevin Garnett?
Journalist Pablo Torre, in a previous report, detailed that multiple professional players, including some from the NBA, frequented exclusive underground poker rooms that later proved to be manipulated. Torre learned that Garnett was among those who attended one such high-stakes gathering in 2019.
In a fresh update, Torre specified that the game took place in Los Angeles that year and shared new context from someone familiar with Garnett’s side of the story.
According to that source, the retired champion believed he was walking into an afterparty, not a poker setup. Once it became clear that cards and cash were the main event, he opted to make an early exit.
Torre also reported that federal authorities have not contacted Garnett and is not accused of any wrongdoing. Representatives for Garnett have not issued a public comment on Torre’s reporting.
Former NBA star Kevin Garnett, one of the former athletes who attended a 2019 private poker game tied to individuals indicted in the DOJ’s “Operation Royal Flush”, reportedly believed he was attending an afterparty, not a poker game, per @PabloTorre.
Garnett left the event early… pic.twitter.com/o0oEY0shfE
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) October 30, 2025
The internet did what it always does. When Garnett’s name first popped up in connection with the poker circuit, fans cracked jokes about whether he was the one running a hustle or the one getting hustled. The same tongue-in-cheek debate reappeared in comment sections after news that he bailed early from the L.A. game.
There is also a historical context to Garnett’s relationship with games of chance. As previously reported by Jon Krawczynski in The Athletic, Garnett never had a reputation as a savvy gambler despite his massive career earnings.
Teammates recalled moments when he would intentionally drop small-stakes card games, a gesture some interpreted as discomfort with flashing his wealth in the locker room rather than any appetite for high-roller action.
While Garnett faces no charges, another former NBA figure linked to the poker scene is already dealing with legal fallout.
On October 23, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups was taken into federal custody, according to prosecutors. Authorities allege a series of high-roller poker sessions were covertly steered by mafia-connected organizers siphoning at least $7 million from unsuspecting players.
If we see following a court appearance, Billups was ordered to surrender his passport, avoid contact with co-defendants, and refrain from any gambling activity until his next hearing on November 24 in Brooklyn, New York.
Moreover, League discipline followed swiftly. As reported by Shams Charania, Billups was placed on an unpaid leave of absence, separating him from team duties while investigations continue.
For now, Garnett’s proximity to the story hinges on attendance, not on accusation. Still, with the NBA’s integrity apparatus moving quickly and federal investigators tightening their lens, any new detail can reshape perception in a heartbeat.
