The Portland Trail Blazers bring in Chauncey Billups as their new head coach on a five-year deal
Portland, Oregon - The Portland Trail Blazers have a new head coach to go forward into the next season and beyond, after agreeing to a deal with former NBA player Chauncey Billups.
The five-year contract was announced on Sunday night, though according to team officials, both parties came to a mutual agreement as recently as this past Friday.
Billups (44) has been an assistant on the Clippers’ coaching staff since 2020, being brought into LA prior to the start of the current regular season and postseason. His name had been previously floated around the league as a potential member of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ front office in 2017.
He played 17 seasons in the NBA,for the Celtics, Raptors, Pistons, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Knicks, and Clippers. However, he had the most success during his time in Detroit, where he led the Pistons to an NBA title in the 2004 Finals, upsetting the Los Angeles Lakers and coming away with Finals MVP honors. Billups was also named to five NBA All-Star teams from 2006 to 2010.
After retiring in 2014, Billups jumped right into an analyst role for ESPN during their coverage of NBA games, holding that position until 2020 when he joined the Clippers’ coaching staff.
This new hire by the Blazers comes with some controversy
Billups also brings at least a little bit of "baggage" with him. Back in 1997, he was accused of having in role in alleged sexual assault at the home of a former teammate of his during his time as a rookie in Boston. While he was never formally charged, he has to this day denied any involvement in such allegations.
He was named in a civil lawsuit with former Celtics Ron Mercer, Antoine Walker and a roommate of Walker’s. The lawsuit was settled in 2000.
According to ESPN’s NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Blazers vetted Billups prior to offering him the position on Friday.
"The Blazers met with Chauncey Billups in Seattle on Wednesday...they continued their own internal investigation into those 97' charges throughout the day Thursday, throughout the day Friday before they offered him that job on Friday night," Wojnarowski said.
The Blazers plan to make the deal official in a press conference on Tuesday.
Cover photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire