Clippers HC Tyronn Lue Dragged Into Shocking NBA Gambling Scandal

The 2025–26 NBA season continues to spiral into chaos. After a strong start with an exciting slate of games, the league was rocked when Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, and retired player Damon Jones were arrested as part of an FBI investigation into an illegal gambling operation.

The probe has already begun to ensnare other high-profile figures. Among those now linked to the investigation is Billups’ close friend and Los Angeles Clippers head coach, Tyronn Lue, raising further questions about the scope of the scandal and its potential impact across the league.

How Is Tyronn Lue Involved?

Details about the investigation are gradually emerging, including the names of other notable figures who may have been present at the illegal poker games in varying capacities. And according to reporting by Pablo Torre, Lue and retired NBA star Kevin Garnett were at least in the vicinity of the rigged card games.

While Garnett is believed to have thought he was attending an afterparty in Los Angeles and left without participating in any of the games, Lue is reported to have played the game in April 2019, though at a different table than Billups. The two share a long history: they trained together during their playing days, frequently working out at Impact Basketball in Las Vegas during the offseason.

🚨➕ Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue was also in attendance at the allegedly rigged April 2019 poker game in Las Vegas, sources with direct knowledge tell @pablofindsout.

But sources say Lue did not play at the same table as his good friend, Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups.

— Pablo Torre 👀 (@PabloTorre) October 25, 2025

Neither Garnett nor Lue is believed to be implicated in the scheme, but their presence illustrates just how enticing these games were to high-profile players and coaches. The role Billups played was of a “Face Card,” a recognizable professional athlete who could attract other big-money players to lose at the game.

“The Rigged Shuffling Machines were secretly altered to use concealed technology to read the cards in the deck, predict which player at the table had the best poker hand, and relay that information via interstate wires to an off-site operator (the ‘Operator’),” the indictment reads.

“The Operator then communicated that information by cellular telephone to a member of the Cheating Team seated at the Rigged Game poker tables, referred to as the ‘Quarterback’ or ‘Driver,’ who used secret signaling to share the information with the other members of the Cheating Teams playing in the Rigged Games.”

Billups, as the recognizable name at the table, effectively acted as bait, drawing in other high-stakes players. But that didn’t make him any less guilty of the crimes. With each new revelation, the narrative becomes increasingly cinematic, and it wouldn’t be surprising if one day this saga ends up on the big screen.