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NBA legend Kevin Garnett has been named in the NBA gambling scandal, but it appears that he may have been a victim.
On Thursday, NBA head coach Chauncey Billups was arrested after he was accused of helping the mafia scam millions of dollars from unsuspecting poker players during a series of rigged games.
“For years, these individuals allegedly hosted illegal poker games where they used sophisticated technology and enlisted current and former NBA players to cheat people out of millions of dollars,” stated NYPD Commissioner Tisch.
“This complex scheme was so far reaching that it included members from four of the organized crime families, and when people refused to pay because they were cheated, these defendants did what organized crime has always done: they used threats, intimidation, and violence. I want to thank the incredible team at the NYPD that worked diligently on this case, and our partners in the FBI, HSI, and the U.S Attorney’s Office for their collaboration in shutting down this illegal gambling ring.”
The mafia was allegedly paying Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups to be a “face” to attract high-rollers to rigged poker games with x-rayed tables.
Some players had contact lenses that could read through cards.
This is wild.pic.twitter.com/lN6oaxg2B7
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) October 23, 2025
According to Pablo Torre, Kevin Garnett was one of the former NBA players who played in the rigged games organized by Billups.
🚨 UPDATE: A number of former pro athletes played at private poker games organized by those indicted by the DOJ in “Operation Royal Flush.”
One of them — according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of a game that took place in 2019 — was Kevin Garnett. @pablofindsout https://t.co/9UEijIez8R
— Pablo Torre 👀 (@PabloTorre) October 24, 2025
PokerNews is reporting that Garnett played in the game but has not been charged and is likely a victim who was scammed by the mob.
Via PokerNews
Two sources familiar with the 2019 games in Las Vegas told PokerNews that the games also included NBA legend Kevin Garnett, who is not named in the indictment and hasn’t been accused of any wrongdoing. The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, did not play in the games themselves.
Garnett, according to our sources, is not suspected of partaking in any illegal activity, and is presumed to have been nothing more a regular player in the alleged rigged game.
Garnett has yet to comment on being named in the poker scandal, and has not been accused of any wrongdoing by the feds.