Former NBA player and coach Damon Jones, who was arrested by the FBI on Thursday, allegedly abused his relationship with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022-2023 season, sharing undisclosed information about the future Hall of Famer’s health to benefit him with alleged illegal sports betting, The Athletic reports.
Jones, who played alongside James for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005–2008, and later coached him during his second stint with the team, reportedly shared information about James’ health ahead of a February 23, 2023 game between James’ Los Angeles Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks.
Per the indictment, Jones allegedly corresponded with an undisclosed co-conspirator about a player that wouldn’t be active during the game, but wasn’t listed on the injury report. Jones suggested they bet on the Bucks to win.
James didn’t play in the game due to ankle soreness. The Bucks beat the Lakers 115–106.
Neither a representative for James nor the Lakers immediately responded to Men’s Journal‘s request for comment.
Jones was not affiliated with the NBA organization at the time, although he was on the court to work with James during his pregame workouts. He did have access to the team’s hotels and planes, as well as locker rooms.
Lakers Relationship
Jones reportedly also disclosed details about the 2023–2024 Lakers team, including another prominent player. In one instance, he allegedly shared information about the player’s impacted health ahead of a January 15, 2024 game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
FBI Crackdown
On Thursday, the FBI announced that they had arrested 34 individuals involved across two illegal operations, involving sports betting and rigged poker games.
“The first indictment involves six defendants who are alleged to have participated [in] one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became wildly legalized in the United States,” United States Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said during a press conference in New York City, explaining that the operation “exploited confidential information about National Basketball Association athletes and teams.”
Jones as well as Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, amongst others, allegedly “perpetrated a scheme to defraud by betting on inside, non-public information about NBA athletes and teams,” including “when specific players would be sitting out future games or when they would pull themselves out early for purported injuries or illnesses.”
The second scheme involved 31 individuals, including current Portland Trailblazer Head Coach Chauncey Billups, who “alleged to have participated in a nationwide scheme to rig illegal poker games,” Nocella Jr. said. “These defendants, which include former professional athletes, used high-tech cheating technology to steal millions of dollars from victims in underground poker games that were secretly fixed.”
Several families within the La Cosa Nostra mafia in New York City became involved with the rigged games. Nocella Jr. says the mafia took a portion of the winnings, as well as helped “enforce the collection of debts.”
