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Is Toronto Rangers a real team? FBI official's gaffe during alleged gambling probe involving NBA figures explained

FBI officer Joseph Nocella seemingly confused the Toronto Raptors with the Toronto Rangers in the NBA gambling investigation press conference
posted by Madhurima Roy
Friday 10/24/2025 at 1:36AM EDT
  • FBI Director Kash Patel speaks during a press conference on October 23, 2025 in New York City. FBI Director Patel was joined by U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge of the NY Field Office of the FBI Christopher Raia, Special Agent in Charge of the NY Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations Ricky Patel, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and various members of law enforcement as they announced indictments against current and former N.B.A. players, that include Chauncey Billups coach of the Portland Trailblazers and hall of fame inductee, Terry Rozier, a guard for the Miami Heat, in a pair of criminal cases that involved the coordination of Mafia families and professional athletes. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
    FBI Director Kash Patel speaks during a press conference on October 23, 2025 in New York City. FBI Director Patel was joined by U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge of the NY Field Office of the FBI Christopher Raia, Special Agent in Charge of the NY Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations Ricky Patel, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and various members of law enforcement as they announced indictments against current and former N.B.A. players, that include Chauncey Billups coach of the Portland Trailblazers and hall of fame inductee, Terry Rozier, a guard for the Miami Heat, in a pair of criminal cases that involved the coordination of Mafia families and professional athletes. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

    US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Joseph Nocella, mentioned "Toronto Rangers" while naming NBA teams whose players or teams were involved in the NBA gambling scandal.

    The Toronto Rangers are not a real team. Nocella reportedly misspoke and meant to name the Toronto Raptors in the press conference on Thursday (October 23, 2025).

    The clip went viral on social media, and netizens joked that they were glad the Raptors were not involved. Internet users also made memes, creating fake logos of the Toronto Rangers. Some noted that Joseph Nocella should not have made such a mistake. Others claimed that his speech was reportedly created with AI.

    "The indictment details specific examples where the defendants profited from illegal betting on various NBA games, about the performance of players on, among other things, the Charlotte Hornets, the Portland Trail Blazers, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Toronto Rangers," Joseph Nocella stated.

    According to the BBC's October 23, 2025, report, more than 30 people have been arrested for illegal gambling so far. The news outlet stated that members of the New York City mafia families were arrested along with Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA player Damon Jones.

    During the press conference on Thursday, Nocella said that the defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Notably, it is uncertain how the defendants pleaded to the charges.

    As netizens made jokes about the Toronto Rangers, Kash Patel shared that the illegal gambling ran for years

    Before the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York made the blunder with the NBA team's name, FBI Director Kash Patel pointed out the serious nature of the crime. He noted that over the years, the arrested individuals garnered tens of millions of dollars via illegal gambling.

    "The fraud, it is mind-boggling. It's not hundreds of dollars, it's not thousands of dollars. It's not tens of thousands of dollars, it's not even millions of dollars. We're talking about tens of millions of dollars in fraud and theft and robbery across a multi-year investigation," Patel stated.

    The NBA released a press statement on Thursday, noting that Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier are on leave and that the organization will cooperate with the FBI and relevant authorities.

    "We will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities. We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority," NBA stated.

    The Portland Trail Blazers told NBC News they would also cooperate with authorities, and Tiago Splitter has been named the team's interim head coach.

    The Miami Heat has not addressed the scandal. The Toronto Raptors have not, either, and there are no reports of the team commenting on the viral clip in which Joseph Nocella mistakenly called them the Toronto Rangers.

    Stay tuned for more updates on the case.

    TOPICS: Toronto Rangers, FBI, Sports Gambling, Viral Videos