Despite the NBA being back in full swing as of this Tuesday, that's not the main storyline right now. Instead, the focus is on a historic arrest which was conducted by the FBI yesterday, October 23. Over 30 people, including players, coaches and mafia members were handcuffed. However, it's not all tied to just one case.
For example, Chauncey Billups, head coach of the Portland Trailblazers, was linked to an alleged illegal poker operation. His case deals with the mafia and non-sports related gambling. Overall, this is all still pretty fresh news and there's going to plenty more to come.
That goes for theories and commentary on the situation as well. Stephen A. Smith, star of ESPN's First Take, shared his thoughts on the wild matter, suggesting that this whole bust is political. More specifically, he's implying that Donald Trump is behind this.
If you have been following the former sports journalist recently, you may know he's been rubbing elbows with commentators in the space. He's especially been doing so on his eponymous radio talk show.
NBA Gambling Arrests
But this warning he issued occurred on First Take. He said, "Tell me when we’ve seen that… We’ve seen accusations before. We’ve seen athletes get in trouble with the law before. You don’t see the director of the FBI having a press conference. It’s not coincidental... not an accident. It’s a statement, and it’s a warning that more is coming."
He continued, "This is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s very concerning. We don’t know where this is gonna go. But everybody better brace themselves, because he’s coming."
Kash Patel, the FBI director, caught wind off his commentary and laughed it off on The Ingraham Angle, hosted by Fox News host Laura Ingraham. "I’m the FBI director. I decide which arrest to conduct and which not to conduct," he said per the New York Post. "That may be the single dumbest thing I’ve ever heard out of anyone in modern history. And I live most of my time in Washington, DC. It’s right up there with Adam Schiff. We arrest people for crimes."
As we said earlier, Billups is one of a few notable names in the NBA that were handcuffed. Journeyman point guard Terry Rozier, who's currently on the Miami Heat was arrested too. However, his directly relates to prop bets and multiple sportsbooks across several states flagging increased betting activity on his "unders" for stats. Former Cleveland Cavaliers player and coach Damon Jones was arrested as well.
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