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After initially maintaining his innocence, NBA champion Damon Jones has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud after providing insider information before it was made public for the benefit of players.
Jones became the first NBA figure in the scandal to plead guilty – he was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.
Reading a prepared statement to the court, he admitted conspiring with others to defraud sports betting companies using “inside information that I have obtained as a result of my dealings as a former player.”
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Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones arrives in Brooklyn federal court in New York on April 28, 2026. (Yuki Iwamura/AP)
Jones told someone close to him that a “prominent” player on the Los Angeles Lakers who was widely speculated to be LeBron Jameswould not play February 9, 2023 until the information was public. Jones was an assistant for the team at the time.
James did not play in the game due to an ankle injury. The game was played two days after James scored 38 points to become the NBA’s leading scorer.
Jones also reportedly provided apparent inside information about another “one of the Lakers’ top players” 11 months later, who is speculated to be Anthony Davisregarding an injury likely to affect his performance. It ultimately backfired because the player “performed well” and the Lakers won, according to authorities.
“I want to sincerely apologize to the court, my family, my peers and also the National Basketball Association,” Jones said.
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He said the goal of the conspiracy, which ran from December 2022 to March 2024, was to use his insider knowledge — which prosecutors say involved non-public information about injuries to NBA stars — to make money at sportsbooks. He acknowledged that his actions violated the NBA’s code of conduct and also the terms of service of sports betting websites.
Jones is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 6, 2027, before Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall. Sentencing guidelines for conspiracy to commit wire fraud call for a sentence of 21-27 months in prison. Jones also agreed to forfeit $35,000. Under the terms of his bail, he cannot gamble or be involved with organized crime figures and must have court approval for bank transfers of more than $10,000, unless it is for legal fees. Jones first pleaded not guilty in November, even using his parents’ home as bond security.
Jones is also alleged to have participated in and benefited from rigged poker games used as a “face card” along with Chauncey Billupsto lure victims into playing with celebrities. He was one of three people charged in both the NBA gambling and poker cases. He also pleaded guilty to charges in that case on Tuesday.
LeBron James talks with Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue and former teammate Damon Jones during an off-day practice before Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio on June 6, 2017. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle/Getty Images)
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Prosecutors on Monday said they were willing to seek additional charges against current NBA player Terry Rozier, who is accused of removing himself from a game so players could cash out his “under” props.
Prosecutors said they sought to file superseding charges of sports bribery and honest services wire fraud during a hearing. Prosecutors said they had evidence that the former Miami Heat guard solicited and received a bribe amid the alleged gambling scheme.
Rozier filed a motion to dismiss charges against him as his attorneys argued that the wire fraud charge is based on a theory the Supreme Court rejected two years ago and that the government failed to prove the money laundering allegations.
Despite going undrafted out of Houston in 1997, Jones played 11 seasons in the NBA. The definition of a journeyman, Jones played for 10 teams and earned more than $20 million in his career.
Throughout his career, he was teammates with prominent stars, including James during his three-year stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005 to 2008. He also spent a season with Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal with the Miami Heat.
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups calls a play in the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, Feb. 20, 2025. Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier dribbles the basketball against the Chicago Bulls in the third quarter at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, March 8. Boston player Clevmon Jones is Boston player Ca5valier at Cleve2 in Boston. Celtics in Cleveland, Ohio, November 27, 2007. The J. Edgar Hoover Building, FBI headquarters, is shown in Washington, DC, on May 28, 2025. (STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images; Troy Wayrynen/Imagn Images; Sam Navarro/Imagn Images; Greg Nelson/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
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He became a coach after his playing career and won a title with James and the Cavs in 2016 as an assistant. Jones joined the Lakers, James’ current team, as an unofficial, unpaid member of the coaching staff for the 2022–23 season.
Over 30 people were arrested as a result of both scandals.
