Chauncey Billups Seen in 2019 Poker Photo Tied to Bombshell Gambling Indictment

A resurfaced 2019 photo has emerged showing Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups seated at a poker table with two alleged co-conspirators now charged alongside him in a sweeping federal indictment connected to rigged poker games run by organized crime.

The image, obtained by The Post, shows the 49-year-old former NBA Finals MVP with stacks of poker chips in front of him, apparently deep in conversation with another player. Standing behind Billups are Sophia Wei and Saul Becher, both named in Thursday’s indictment. Wei is seen holding a handful of chips directly behind Billups, while Becher stands several feet away, observing the game.

According to prosecutors, Billups was one of several “face cards” — celebrity players used to lure wealthy participants, or “fish,” into joining underground poker games that were secretly rigged using high-tech cheating devices.

Federal officials allege that members of the Bonanno, Gambino, and Genovese crime families controlled the games and paid Billups and former NBA player Damon Jones to participate, creating the illusion of high-stakes glamour to attract victims. The athletes were reportedly instructed when to lose or win depending on how organizers wanted to manipulate the flow of the game and maximize profits.

Prosecutors claim the rigged operations spanned from 2019 through 2024, taking place in exclusive venues in Miami, Las Vegas, the Hamptons, and Manhattan, and generated millions of dollars in illicit profits.

The 2019 photo has become a key piece of evidence linking Billups to the early stages of the poker scheme, which federal authorities describe as one of the most elaborate and technologically advanced gambling operations ever tied to professional sports figures.

Billups, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024, has not yet entered a plea. The Trail Blazers and the NBA have placed him on immediate administrative leave pending further investigation.