Jury selection in Billups’ criminal trial is now scheduled to begin on 8 March 2027, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn. The proceedings, expected to run about four weeks in front of U.S. District Judge Ramon Reyes Jr., were originally set to open on 2 November 2026.
Federal prosecutors had asked to push the case into 2027, citing scheduling conflicts that included attorneys assigned to other trials and one lawyer’s maternity leave. Judge Reyes had initially rejected the request at a June status conference, telling the government to arrange backup counsel rather than delay the case.
Defence wanted November
Billups’ legal team fought the postponement. His lead attorney, Marc Mukasey, told the court he and his client “love” the idea of going to trial in November, and defence filings argued the case had already caused Billups to “lose his livelihood and become subject to an intense degree of public obloquy.”
Five defendants, Billups among them, opposed the delay. Seven others consented, and it was that split that ultimately shifted the calendar into 2027.
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No path back to Portland’s bench
Billups is no longer coaching the Trail Blazers. The franchise moved on over the offseason, hiring Minnesota Timberwolves lead assistant Micah Nori as head coach on 23 June 2026, on a multiyear deal. Interim coach Tiago Splitter, who took over the day after Billups’ arrest and steered Portland into the postseason, left for the Chicago Bulls a week before Nori was appointed.
Billups was arrested by the FBI in October 2025, one game into the 2025-26 season, and suspended by the NBA the same day. He pleaded not guilty in November 2025 and was released on a $5 million bond.
The allegations
Prosecutors say Billups took part in rigged high-stakes poker games run by figures tied to organised crime. The games allegedly used electronic cheating devices, including X-ray tables and doctored shuffling machines, with well-known sports figures used as bait to draw wealthy players who did not realise the deck was stacked against them.
Billups is one of 31 defendants charged in the federal sweep. At least a dozen co-defendants have already pleaded guilty, and several others are said to be negotiating plea agreements.
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A separate strand of the investigation examines whether someone matching Billups’ description told a sports bettor that the Trail Blazers planned to tank a game in March 2023. That allegation is not part of the case going to trial in March.
Billups, a five-time NBA All-Star and 2004 Finals MVP with the Detroit Pistons, denies wrongdoing. He has consistently maintained he never bet on basketball or shared inside information. He will remain out on bond until jury selection begins on 8 March 2027.
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