The NBA’s Terrible Thursday had more casualties than just any player who got injured or any coach whose decision backfired. It’s bad enough that the Portland Trail Blazers, who were celebrating having Damian Lillard back, will contend with scrutiny because of Chauncey Billups’ arrest. Now his indictment has even old friends reeling. Michael Cooper’s coaching career went parallel with Billups’ playing days. Yet they formed a great friendship. In the immediate aftermath of his friends arrest, Coop was questioning what this could mean for Billups’ biggest accomplishment.

While the federal crackdown on Thursday morning was still fresh, DJ Vlad got the Lakers legend on his show the same day to ask how he felt. Coop, who claims he’s a casual gambler, found the whole thing, “disturbing.”

“I never saw him as that kind of player. Chauncey is so lowkey, so cool, so calm, collective. I mean, for you to get caught up in that means that you were kind of looking…” He said, then claimed his official stance is, “he’s innocent until proven guilty.”

Coop was also shocked his Lakers were one of the teams dragged into this mess. He briefly ranted that highly paid athletes had no reason to do this. And the discussion inevitably steered to Pete Rose. As even the new fans would’ve found out with all the parallels between the NBA’s gambling probe and the biggest scandal in MLB, Rose died being denied a Hall of Fame nod to an undeniable Hall-of-Fame-worthy career because of his illegal act.

It was Cooper who asked Vlad, “Say hypothetically, if Chauncey is found guilty, should he come out of the Hall of Fame?” Between both of them, Vlad would have the credentials to comment on it because he interviewed Rose before he passed away in 2024 – the year Billups was enshrined into the Hall of Fame. The journalist knew how much losing the honor filled him with bitterness.

Vlad firmly believes Billups shouldn’t be removed from the Hall of Fame because the illegal gambling from a 2023 incident had nothing to do with his deservedly HoF career from 1997 to 2014. Cooper didn’t exactly answer his own question but his response to Vlad’s opinion was the coldest, “So?” and a shrug. That’s his friend but even he had to admit that Billups’ HoF status is hanging by a thin thread.

Chauncey Billups’ HoF status jeopardized

The 2004 championship title with the Pistons, winning Finals MVP, five All-Star appearances, and back-to-back All Defensive nods made Chauncey Billups a Hall of Famer. Nothing of his coaching career factors into this. He was enshrined in 2024, in the same class that included Michael Cooper with Vince Carter, Bo Ryan, and Pacers owner Herb Simon.

At that time, who would’ve thought he was the subject of an FBI investigation for activities a year prior? The Blazers HC was supposedly the frontman of an underground poker ring that lured players to illegal home games and fleeced them. The allegations presented by the Department of Justice also paint the picture of a sophisticated tech-heavy cheating system designed to take the players’ money. Cooper had read the reports on it and was flustered with the kind of technology – X-ray-equipped poker tables, rigged card shufflers, marked cards and the use of sensor-equipped contact lenses and glasses  – in use.

Billups left a federal court on Thursday and was put on paid leave by the NBA. If found guilty of money laundering and wire fraud, he’s looking at minimum 20 years in prison. The indictment also alleges that Billups gave out information about players not publicly available. This is only an indictment and nothing’s been proven yet. But it brings Billups’ legacy into question.

Vlad and Cooper know that at least the National Baseball Hall of Fame is unforgiving to MLB players who’ve had such scandals. The Naismith Hall of Fame – as does the NFL – doesn’t usually remove players once enshrine irrespective of the reasons. It does have bylaws that state they can remove candidates who have “damaged the integrity of the game of basketball.” However, that applies before a player is voted into the HoF.

Unless the committee decides to make an exception, that rule and potentially getting cleared by the feds are the only things going for Billups. He maintains his innocence in all this but it’s probably going to be a lonely battle.