Former Piston Billups, now Trail Blazers coach, says 1997 incident “shaped his life”

PORTLAND, OR (WKZO AM/FM) – New Portland Trail Blazers head basketball coach Chauncey Billups is saying the 1997 rape allegations against him shaped his life at his opening press conference.

Billups did not face any criminal charges in the 1997 incident, but he settled a civil lawsuit filed by the woman.

Portland GM Neil Olshey said the Blazers commissioned their own independent investigation about the 1997 incident and found that Billups did nothing wrong.

The former point guard played in the NBA from 1997 to 2014 and won  a league championship in 2004 with the Detroit Pistons.  His number one was retired by Detroit.