Was Gilbert Arenas named in the FBI’s gambling probe? Former NBA star threatens to sue over potential 'snitching' allegation

Hours after the arrest of Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and former Cleveland Cavaliers player Damon Jones, among 31 others, for their alleged involvement in a massive sports gambling operation, reports surfaced online that Gilbert Arenas acted as an FBI informant, essentially snitching to the authorities, which allegedly led to their arrests.

In response, Gilbert took to his Instagram on October 25, claiming that he intends to sue anyone who spreads false rumors, connecting him to the investigation.

"The fact that some of y'all defamed me. I don’t know if I’m gonna be the bigger person and just let it go or I’m gonna sue. I’ve won six, seven defamation lawsuits. So you know I know that," he said.

In the seven-minute-long video, Gilbert clarified that, although he was previously tied to a separate illegal gambling scandal in California involving high-end poker games at his Encino residence, he has no connection to the current situation.

For those unversed, he was indicted on three federal charges on July 30 in connection with the case and was later released on a bond after pleading not guilty. According to The New York Post, he was charged with one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business, one count of operating an illegal gambling business, and one count of making false statements to federal investigators.

"I don’t know how that connects to someone hurting their foot and betting on bad games in 2023. I haven’t seen NBA players since we bounced that basketball. Not at lunch, dinner, nothing," Gilbert said.

He added:

"I'm not worried about my case. I know the only thing I did. If you have my case in 900 pages, one line: I think this is Gilbert Arenas’ house, that’s my case."

He also reiterated that he intends to file a defamation lawsuit against anyone spreading misinformation about him, related to the ongoing investigation, in his caption.

"Defamation Lawsuit against anyone who made it seem like I’m a part of this case will be SUED (If) I don’t score 20 points at the 2K rec TONIGHT when I go live #YT #GilsArenaBattlemode 🗣️ Im dead a*s serious! Your fate will be determined by my outcome in 2K 🏀😇🙏🏾" Gilbert captioned.

"I like my YouTuber career": Gilbert Arenas further rejects claims of involvement in recent NBA gambling scandal

Gilbert Arenas previously addressed accusations that he was an informant in the recent massive sports gambling operation in the Thursday episode of his podcast Gil's Arena.

"I watch enough movies and know the last group you want to snitch on is the mafia. Listen I watch Dateline. They still they still ain't found people since 1947. I like my YouTuber career," he said.

Speculations about Gilbert for being an informant in the current investigation may have stemmed from a now-deleted Instagram post, where he shared photos of himself carrying a brown paper bag labeled "Informant Lunch," captioned:

"Got that Informant Lunch special this morning."

He even brought that bag onto the aforementioned episode of his podcast, joking about the situation.

In other news, the FBI Director Kash Patel, in a news conference held on October 23, claimed that more than 30 people had been arrested the same day following the FBI's "coordinated take down across 11 states" in connection with a years-long illegal gambling and fraud investigation.

Per multiple outlets, both Trailblazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Heat guard Terry Rozier were placed on immediate leave by the NBA.

Stay tuned for more updates as the investigation continues.