Have a look at the members and meaning of La Cosa Nostra
US federal agents recently launched a major investigation against the NBA, uncovering alleged La Cosa Nostra Mafia ties within NBA-linked gambling operations.
The probe has already implicated several prominent figures in the sport, reigniting various concerns about corruption in professional sports.
What is La Cosa Nostra, mafia linked to NBA gambling probe: Members, leader and meaning explained
This NBA/Mafia gambling bust is insane.
La Cosa Nostra, the Italian Mafia, were working with current and former NBA players to rig unders on prop bets and had a poker operation with x-ray tables, rigged shuffling machines, and more.
The movie about this is gonna be wild. pic.twitter.com/XABEN8BHCd
— Clandestine (@WarClandestine) October 23, 2025
🚨 30+ arrests. 11 states. 1 nationwide takedown.
Today the FBI dismantled a multi-million dollar gambling ring tied to La Cosa Nostra, including current & former NBA players and coaches — as well as an inside scheme to rig sports betting outcomes for profit.
Cheating,… pic.twitter.com/dxzDO26NFJ
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) October 23, 2025
The investigations began as a standard betting inquiry, but it has since evolved into a complex web involving underground poker games and insider wagering.
La Cosa Nostra meaning and origins
La Cosa Nostra, often called the American Mafia, is one of the most notorious and secretive crime groups in the world. The phrase literally translates to “our thing” in Italian and represents the organization’s deep sense of loyalty and silence among its members.
The organization is made up of several “families,” with each family led by a boss who oversees their own operations and territory. Law enforcement agencies have carried out countless raids and prosecutions against the Mafia across several decades, but La Cosa Nostra continues to survive, adjusting to modern life instead of disappearing. The organization has its origins back in the early 1900s, with Sicilian immigrants in the US pioneering it and eventually growing its reach across different American cities, particularly New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia.
The scheme involved four of the five well-known crime families of New York and The Five Families – the Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese – have ruled the city’s Italian American mafia since 1931.
The Five Families are part of the larger American-Sicilian mafia operation known as La Cosa Nostra and the members often work closely with their counterparts in Sicily.
A seven-count indictment has now charged 31 defendants in criminal schemes to rig illegal poker games at locations in New York City, East Hampton, New York, and throughout the United States. 31 defendants were arrested in 11 states, including members and associates of the Bonanno, Gambino, and Genovese organized crime families of La Cosa Nostra (LCN); Chauncey Billups, head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA); and Damon Jones, also known as “Dee,” a former NBA player with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat.
🚨 UPDATE: BREAKING: The @FBI’s “Operation Nothing But Net” and “Operation Royal Flush” just blew open a massive sports betting and poker cheating ring.
— NBA names arrested: Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier, Damon Jones
— 30 people charged, including 13 linked to La Cosa Nostra
—… pic.twitter.com/je3X1JCdJ0— Digital Gal 🌸 (@DigitalGal_X) October 23, 2025
La Cosa Nostra connection to NBA Gambling Probe explored
The ongoing federal investigation against the NBA has revived public attention on La Cosa Nostra’s deep-rooted ties to gambling. According to prosecutors, Mafia-backed networks have financed and facilitated two overlapping criminal schemes. One of them involves rigged underground poker games, while the other is centered on insider NBA betting. Following the investigations, the FBI has arrested over 30 individuals, including Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier.
According to official court documents, Rozier took part in a sports-betting ring using confidential team data and early access to game outcomes. Meanwhile, authorities have accused Billups of collaborating with Mafia-linked operatives to manipulate poker results and high-stakes matches. The case has exposed how La Cosa Nostra continues to evolve and thrive in the present, even in the digital age.
“This was a sports rigging operation that spanned years across 11 states. In total, 30 individuals have been arrested (13 mafia members)”
“The case involves La Cosa Nostra aka the Italian mafia”
“former Raptors player Jontay Porter was threatened for his life to participate in… pic.twitter.com/pclXUbbOTz
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) October 23, 2025
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