The Portland Trail Blazers hired Micah Nori as their new head coach on Tuesday. The appointment concludes the tenure of Chauncey Billups, who has been on leave since October.
Nori previously served as an assistant coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The decision followed the departure of interim coach Tiago Splitter, who accepted a position with the Chicago Bulls earlier this month. Billups was absent from the team's draft preparations this week, marking his continued separation from the franchise.
Legal Proceedings and Indictments
Chauncey Billups faces federal charges of money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy. A federal grand jury indicted 31 defendants in October regarding a gambling scheme that defrauded victims of at least $7 million. The defendants utilized advanced wireless technologies, including x-ray devices and specialized contact lenses, to read cards during games.
Prosecutors described Billups as a "face card" in the scheme, a term for celebrity participants used to attract victims to underground poker games. While he is not accused of directly cheating victims, the indictment alleges he received a $50,000 wire transfer from a co-conspirator following a game in October 2020.
Billups played for seven teams during his NBA career, including the New York Knicks. On 10 June, the Knicks overcame a 29-point deficit to secure the largest comeback in NBA Finals history. The following day, Billups attended a status conference at the Brooklyn federal courthouse.
He initially pleaded not guilty to the felony charges last October.