Former 11-year NBA player. Damon Jones was arrested Thursday amid allegations that he allegedly disclosed confidential injury information about a “prominent” basketball player to facilitate illegal sports betting, authorities said.
LeBron James was an outstanding player, a source close to James told ESPN.
The indictment accused James of no wrongdoing.
Jones was one of 34 people were arrestedalong with Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry RozierFBI Director Kash Patel said it is part of a multi-year investigation spanning nearly a dozen states and involving tens of millions of dollars.
Authorities said the investigation uncovered two separate cases: one involving illegal sports betting and the other involving rigged poker games involving the mob.
Jones was an unofficial, unpaid part of the former Los Angeles Lakers is an employee of coach Darwin Ham and is no longer with the team under current Lakers coach JJ Redick. Ham invited Jones to participate in team activities after James spent the summer of 2022 with Jones present at many of his offseason workouts.
James didn't know that Jones, his former teammate and assistant coach Cleveland Cavalierswas involved in gambling when Jones spent time with James and the Lakers during the 2022-23 season, the source said. The federal indictment alleges that before the Lakers-vs. Milwaukee Bucks On February 9, 2023, Jones texted an accomplice asking him to “bet big on Milwaukee tonight” because James was about to drop out of the game.
James, who passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA's all-time leading scorer in the previous game on Feb. 7, 2023, will move to miss three games in a row due to pain in my left ankle.
Jones allegedly added in the message, “Bet enough so Jones can eat.” [too] Now!!!”
Without James, Milwaukee beat the Lakers 115–106.
Additionally, the indictment alleges that the following season, Jones provided a co-conspirator with classified information in connection with a Lakers-versus-Lakers game. Oklahoma City Thunder January 15, 2024
The Lakers had no comment on the allegations against Jones when ESPN reported them Thursday morning.
Speaking after Thursday's practice, Redick said the league's anti-gambling rules were reiterated to his team this season – regardless of the FBI investigation.
“We’ve already had two meetings about this,” Redick said. “Obviously that’s been the focus over the last two years, but other than that there’s no other comment.”
