Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups was arrested by the FBI for alleged illegal gambling, according to NBA insiders.
PORTLAND, Ore. — Following the arrest of Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups for alleged illegal gambling, a former Spurs player has taken over.
Assistant Coach Tiago Splitter, a member of the 2014 championship Spurs team, has assumed interim head coaching duties for the Blazers, according to NBA Insider Shams Charania. It was between Splitter and Nate Bjorkgren, Charania said, but it was ultimately the former Spur that got the role.
Splitter played five years for the Spurs averaging 8.3 points and 5.3 rebounds starting in 151 games. Since leaving the Spurs, Splitter became an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets from 2019-2023 and the Houston Rockets in 2023-24. He won a pair of league championships last season as the head coach of Paris Basketball.
Now, he replaces Billups, who was charged with participating in a conspiracy to fix high-stakes card games in Las Vegas, Miami, Manhattan and the Hamptons that were backed by La Cosa Nostra Crime families. Also arrested, but in a separate case, was Heat guard Terry Rozier.
Both Billups and Rozier were placed on immediate leave by the NBA. It’s unclear how long they will be on leave as the NBA cooperates with authorities.
The Trail Blazers are coming off a 118-114 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in their first game of the season where they allowed Anthony Edwards to score 41.
Splitter takes over a Trail Blazers team lead by veterans Jrue Holiday, Jerami Grant and Damian Lillard, who is recovering from a torn left Achilles. He’ll be coaching young players such as Scott Henderson, Toumani Camara, Deni Avdija, Shaedon Sharpe and Donovan Clingan.
He makes his head coaching debut Friday against the Golden State Warriors. Their next game against the Spurs will be on Nov. 26.