NBA Gambling Co-Defendant Pleads Guilty, Denies Billups Info

Eric Earnest pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in New York to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, a charge tied to the NBA inside-information gambling case that also involves player Terry Rozier, according to ESPN. Earnest's attorney told reporters after the hearing that his client did not receive inside information from former NBA player and head coach Chauncey Billups.

What did Earnest plead guilty to?

Earnest, 54, told the court he "agreed with another person to place an illegal bet on an NBA game with a sportsbook" around March 24, 2023, ESPN reported. That plea covers one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The hearing took place in federal court in New York on Thursday.

The guilty plea makes Earnest the latest defendant in a case federal prosecutors have built around allegations that insiders passed non-public details about NBA games to bettors. Earnest is described in court proceedings as a co-conspirator who acted on information before the Trail Blazers game that March.

What does the indictment allege about Billups?

The original indictment does not name Billups directly. Instead, it describes an unnamed co-conspirator who told Earnest that the Portland Trail Blazers would be tanking and that specific Portland players would sit out before a March 24, 2023, game against the Chicago Bulls, according to ESPN.

That co-conspirator is identified in the indictment only as an Oregon resident who was "an NBA player from approximately 1997 through 2014, and an NBA coach since at least 2021." Those career dates match Billups, who played in the league during that span and has coached since 2021. ESPN's report does not state that Billups has been charged, and Earnest's attorney specifically pushed back on any link between his client's plea and Billups after Thursday's hearing.

Why does the Blazers-Bulls game matter?

The March 24, 2023, Trail Blazers-Bulls game sits at the center of the wire fraud count Earnest admitted to. Prosecutors say the tip about Portland sitting players before that game is what led to the illegal bet Earnest placed. Earnest's guilty plea confirms he made that bet, but it does not resolve, on its own, who supplied the original tip or whether that person is the Oregon-based figure described in the indictment.

For bettors and league watchers, the date matters because it anchors the timeline prosecutors are using to tie specific wagers to specific pieces of inside information. Any additional charges or plea agreements tied to that same game are likely to reference the same March 2023 matchup.

What happens next in the case?

Earnest's guilty plea moves his individual case toward sentencing, though ESPN's report did not include a sentencing date. The broader investigation, which also involves Rozier, continues in federal court in New York. Earnest's attorney's denial that Billups passed information to his client sets up a contested point prosecutors and defense lawyers are likely to revisit as the case proceeds, particularly if Billups faces formal charges or is called to testify.

Anyone following the case should watch for whether prosecutors amend the indictment to name the Oregon-based co-conspirator directly, and whether additional defendants enter pleas that either confirm or dispute the attorney's version of events.

Who is affected starting now?

For Earnest, Thursday's plea is final on the wire fraud conspiracy count; he now awaits sentencing under that agreement. For Billups, nothing changes immediately. He has not been named as a defendant in the public reporting on this plea, and his attorney's position, as relayed through Earnest's counsel, is that he did not give Earnest any information.

For the NBA and sportsbooks that operate around league games, the case remains a live legal matter with no resolution yet on the central question of who originated the tip about the Blazers' lineup decisions. Fans and bettors watching the Rozier-linked case should expect further court filings in New York federal court as the government works through remaining defendants.

ESPN's Michael Rothstein, who covers investigative and enterprise stories for the network from Atlanta, reported the plea and the attorney's comments from Thursday's hearing.