What's next in the gambling scandal that has ensnared Chauncey Billups and the NBA

Key Highlights

• He's facing money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy charges, both of which carry a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. In front of the 30 other defendants, Billups, mostly expressionless, sat front and center for more than three hours as Judge Ramon E.
• Reyes heard arguments over all sorts of procedural and logistical issues, casting Billups as the face of a trial that includes violent criminals with long rap sheets, mobsters and members of the criminal underworld, as prosecutors allege he was a "face card" in the rigged poker games, whose fame lured victims to the table. Billups' wife, Piper, and three daughters were seated two rows behind him.
• He surveyed the courtroom, then turned to look over at the gallery of reporters seated to his left who'd come to observe and document the proceedings.
• He lingered a bit on the faces he knew from his career as a basketball player and head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, a legacy now very much in question. Billups' only words that day were his plea on the charges against him.
• His attorney, Marc Mukasey, offered no comment when entering and exiting the courthouse. It will be a long time before anyone fully knows how Billups allegedly became involved in this scandal and the extent to which he was.