This injury has kept Jakucionis out for the first four games of the season. His stretch of missing time could be coming to an end soon, though.
According to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, both Tyler Herro and Jakucionis are joining the Heat on their four-game road trip. This trip starts in San Antonio on Thursday night, taking on Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs.
Tyler Herro and Kasparas Jakucionis join Heat on trip. Erik Spoelstra: "I think it just speeds up the whole process when they’re around the guys" https://t.co/UFr8N6zMWt Also, Norman Powell says "I don’t plan on being out too long"
This is pretty big news considering I thought there was no chance Jakucionis makes his NBA debut on the road. I thought for sure that when the Heat returned to Miami on November 7 against the Charlotte Hornets, that was when he would step foot on an NBA court.
The Miami Heat are strong and will be getting even stronger with Kasparas Jakucionis and Tyler Herro
It is kind of crazy to think about what the Heat have done this season. They are 3-1 with wins over the New York Knicks and on the road by 32 against the Memphis Grizzlies. This hot start, some would say
Herro is an All-Star player, and he will be joining the squad relatively soon. Jakucionis is a dual-threat guard who can do a little bit of everything and is their first-round pick from this year’s draft.
Without those two guys, and Norman Powell from the last game against the Hornets, Miami has three wins in four games, and they have put up 144 and 146 points in two of those contests. This is a really good team that is about to get even better with more talent on the horizon.
Ex-Celtics Guard Hires Trump Lawyer to Fight NBA Gambling Charges
Former Boston Celtics guard and Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups has hired one of the nation’s most prominent defense attorneys to battle federal gambling charges that have rocked the NBA — and tied three former Celtics to the league’s biggest integrity scandal in years.
According to The Athletic, Billups has hired Marc Mukasey, a high-profile trial lawyer who has represented former U.S. President Donald Trump, to handle his defense against wire-fraud and money-laundering conspiracy charges.
Billups Turns to Prominent White-Collar Defense Attorney
Mukasey, a former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York and the son of ex-U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, is widely regarded as one of America’s top courtroom strategists in financial and corporate cases.
According to The Athletic report, Mukasey previously defended Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher, who was acquitted of murder in 2019, and FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried during sentencing in his multibillion-dollar fraud case. Mukasey also served as a legal adviser to Rudy Giuliani’s 2007 presidential campaign and represented Joe Sanberg, co-founder of fintech firm Aspiration, in an NBA-related salary-cap case involving Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers. Sanberg later pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud after admitting to defrauding investors of $248 million.
Now, Mukasey is representing Billups — the 2004 NBA Finals MVP and current Portland Trail Blazers head coach — as he faces potentially career-defining criminal charges.
Federal Allegations and Celtics Connection
In the indictments reviewed by
Heavy Sports, federal prosecutors allege that a coach who matches Billups’ descriptions provided non-public information about Portland’s lineup decisions and participated in exclusive poker games used to lure wealthy bettors into a rigged gambling network. Investigators claim he tipped off a co-conspirator that the Trail Blazers would rest key players before a March 2023 game against the Chicago Bulls, information allegedly used to place illegal bets.
The 49-year-old coach, arrested in Oregon, has been placed on administrative leave by the Trail Blazers while the case proceeds. His former attorney, Chris Heywood, said last week that Billups “would not jeopardize” his Hall-of-Fame legacy, his reputation and freedom.
Two other former Celtics — Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA player Damon Jones — are also implicated in the widening probe. Prosecutors allege Rozier shared private injury information with a friend who then profited from insider bets, while Jones allegedly helped facilitate the illegal gambling ring.
From Boston Lottery Pick to Hall of Fame Player
Getty 25 Jun 1997: Guard Chauncey Billups of the Boston Celtics shakes hands with NBA Commissioner David Stern during the NBA Draft at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Billups began his NBA career in Boston, drafted third overall by the Celtics in 1997, before going on to win a championship with the Detroit Pistons and earning the nickname “Mr. Big Shot.” He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield in 2024, a crowning moment for one of the league’s most respected figures.
Rozier, beloved by Celtics fans from 2015 to 2019, helped Boston reach the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals, while Jones had a brief stint with the franchise during the 1998–99 season. Their shared ties to Boston have given the scandal an unsettling familiarity for local fans.
Badminton Betting Ban Mirrors NBA Investigation
The NBA’s ongoing gambling scandal comes as other global sports face similar integrity challenges. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) recently banned former Danish player and coach Joachim Persson for four years after he was filmed placing live bets courtside during a 2023 Japan Open match, according to
Gambling Insider.
The similarities between the two cases are striking. Both involve allegations that individuals used insider access and confidential information for betting purposes. The incidents highlight the mounting challenge of maintaining sports integrity amid the rapid expansion of legalized gambling worldwide.
A Hall-of-Fame Legacy Under Scrutiny
For Billups, who spent part of his formative NBA years in Boston, the charges threaten to overshadow a Hall-of-Fame career defined by leadership and professionalism.
If convicted, Billups could face up to 20 years in prison per count, along with the potential loss of his coaching position and damage to his legacy.
The NBA continues to cooperate with federal authorities as the investigation broadens — with Boston fans watching uneasily as three familiar names fight to protect their reputations.
