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Stephen A. Smith has infuriated MAGA fans after claiming the FBI's explosive NBA investigation into Mafia-led illegal sports betting and rigged poker games is politically motivated and backed by Donald Trump during a lengthy takedown on First Take.
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were arrested Thursday along with more than 30 other people, authorities said.
Rozier is accused of participating in an illegal sports betting scheme using private insider NBA information. Billups is charged in a separate indictment alleging a wide-ranging scheme to rig underground poker games that were backed by Mafia families.
Both men face money laundering and wire fraud conspiracy charges and are expected to make initial court appearances later Thursday.
Speaking on his ESPN show 'First Take' while the explosive press conference involving FBI Director Kash Patel took place, Smith claimed the investigation was fueled by Trump and his thirst for revenge.
The TV host, who has been increasingly vocal on political issues in the last 12 months and has flirted with running for president in 2028, said: 'You know what world that I live in, in terms of politics. How many times, with one incident after another, have I said "Trump is coming. He's coming". I'm going to say it on national television again.
Stephen A. Smith alleged the FBI's explosive NBA investigation is backed by Donald Trump
The ESPN star, who is vocal on political issues, delivered his verdict on First Take on Thursday
'Bad Bunny is performing at the Super Bowl and all of a sudden you're hearing ICE is going to be there looking to engage in mass deportations. The Super Bowl, disrupting things. Big night for the NBA, Wembanyama put on a show... that has now been smeared because we're talking about this story.
'Remember, Trump has a long, long history connected to the world of sports, because he had those casinos. Where do you think folks were coming half the time? I'm not talking about individuals, I'm talking about the culture. When people want to go to a casino, when people want to gamble, when people want to party... this is his kind of connection to that.
'Don't be surprised if the WNBA is next on his list. When you've got all these protests going on out there, protesting against him... this man is coming, he's coming. I've been saying it for a long time.
'For me, this is the latest nugget of evidence that we're talking about right here. That's not to question the legitimacy of the case, we don't know. But anybody that has been around him, anybody that has talked to him and seen his reactions, from the sports leagues... they are not surprised at what's going on today.
'I'm watching a press conference with the Director of the FBI, 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, it's not an accident, it's a statement... and it's a warning that more is coming.
'That's what they're saying here. I'm just telling you. It's as serious as it gets. This isn't the platform for me to get into it, the way I'm going to get into it. But I've been saying, he's coming... he's coming.
'In his eyes, folks tried to throw him in jail. In his eyes, he's innocent and 'they tried to put me behind bars. I'm getting everybody.' He's not playing. And so this, in a lot of people's eyes... talk to people in the NBA, talk to people in the NFL, talk to people in the world of sports. They think this is just the tip of the iceberg.
'These are the kind of words that are coming out of people's mouths. It's not a surprise. It's very disheartening, it's very concerning, we don't know where this is going to go... but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Everybody better brace themselves, because he's coming.'
Those comments sparked a furious backlash from Trump's supporters on social media, who rightly pointed out that the investigation began well before he started his second term in the White House.
One commented: 'This isn’t a guy being dumb. This is Stephen A. Smith intentionally making a pervocative statement he knows is misleading. The FBI director showed up because this is a huge mob related arrest. The FBI always shows up. You’d have to live under a rock or be dumb as dirt to believe what he just said. TDS is a real thing.'
Another posted: 'The issue with this take is that they literally said this is an investigation that started and has been spanning 4 years So this started well before Trump'.
A third added: 'Uhhhh, I highly doubt Trump had anything to do with this. Investigation was ongoing for years. Only political angle is Patel jumping in front of a camera for some personal PR, but that's it lol.'
'The investigation started years ago and has nothing to do with Trump, but leave to Stephen A to make it political,' a fourth posted.
One Trump fan commented: 'Why is everything made political? This investigation started before Trump got into office. So the FBI cracks down on illegal mafia and illegal gambling racket in the NBA but Trump is still a bad guy.'
Six defendants are accused of participating in an insider sports betting conspiracy that exploited confidential information about NBA athletes and teams, said Joseph Nocella, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
He called it 'one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized in the United States.'
The second case involves 31 defendants in a nationwide scheme to rig illegal poker games, Nocella said. The defendants include former professional athletes accused of using technology to steal millions of dollars in underground poker games in the New York area that were backed by Mafia families, he said.
Tery Rozier is accused of participating in an illegal sports betting scheme using private insider NBA information
Chauncey Billups is charged in a separate indictment alleging a wide-ranging scheme to rig underground poker games that were backed by Mafia families
In the sports betting scheme, players sometimes altered their performance or took themselves out of games early, New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
In one instance, Rozier, while playing for the Hornets, told people he was planning to leave the game early with a 'supposed injury,' allowing them to place wagers that raked in thousands of dollars, Tisch said.
The indictment of Rozier and others says there are nine unnamed co-conspirators, including a Florida resident who was an NBA player, an Oregon resident who was an NBA player from about 1997 to 2014 and an NBA coach since at least 2021, as well as a relative of Rozier.
Rozier and other defendants 'had access to private information known by NBA players or NBA coaches' that was likely to affect the outcome of games or players´ performances and provided that information to other co-conspirators in exchange for either a flat fee or a share of betting profits, the indictment says.
The NBA, which had investigated Rozier previously, told Daily Mail in a statement: 'We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictments announced today. Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups are being placed on immediate leave from their teams, and we will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities.
'We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority.'
Rozier was in uniform as the Heat played the Magic on Wednesday in Orlando in the season opener for both teams, though he did not play in the game. He was taken into custody in Orlando early Thursday morning.
The case was brought by the U.S. attorney´s office in Brooklyn that previously prosecuted ex-NBA player Jontay Porter. The former Toronto Raptors center pleaded guilty to charges that he withdrew early from games, claiming illness or injury, so that those in the know could win big by betting on him to underperform expectations.
Billups was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame last year. The five-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA point guard led the Detroit Pistons to their third league title in 2004 as NBA Finals MVP. Boston drafted the former Colorado star with the No. 3 pick overall in 1997.
FBI Director Kash Patel led an explosive press conference on the investigation in New York
The player known as Mr. Big Shot also played for Toronto, Denver, Minnesota, the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Clippers.
The 49-year-old Billups is in his fifth season as Portland's coach, compiling a 117-212 record. The Trail Blazers opened the season Wednesday night at home with a 118-114 loss to Minnesota.
A game involving Rozier that has been in question was a matchup between the Hornets and the New Orleans Pelicans on March 23, 2023. Rozier played the first 9 minutes and 36 seconds of that game - and not only did not return that night, citing a foot issue, but did not play again that season.
Charlotte had eight games remaining and was not in playoff contention, so it did not seem particularly unusual that Rozier was shut down for the season´s final games.
In that game, Rozier finished with five points, four rebounds and two assists in that opening period - a productive quarter but well below his usual total output for a full game.
Posts still online from March 23, 2023, show that some bettors were furious with sportsbooks that evening when it became evident that Rozier was not going to return to the Charlotte-New Orleans game after the first quarter, with many turning to social media to say that something 'shady' had gone on regarding the prop bets involving his stats for that night.
A prop is a type of wager that allows gamblers to bet on whether a player will exceed a certain statistical number, such as whether the player will finish over or under a certain total of points, rebounds or assists.
