LeBron friend Jones expected to plead guilty in gambling case

With the Los Angeles Lakers nearing their opener of the 2026 NBA Playoffs this weekend, a former team assistant with close ties to LeBron James is set to plead guilty in a sweeping gambling case that has rocked the sport.

Damon Jones, a former unpaid assistant with the Lakers, is expected to become the first defendant to plead guilty in the high-profile case. Jones, an ex-teammate of James with the Cleveland Cavaliers, is facing felony charges in connection with the New York-based illegal gambling investigation. Once self-described as the best “long-range shooter in the world”, Jones is set to appear before a US magistrate judge for a change of plea hearing on 28 April, according to court filings unsealed this week.

Jones is accused of illegally disseminating non-public information on the injury status of a Lakers’ player to a group of bettors. While James is not charged in the complaint, he matches the description of the player.

An 11-year NBA veteran, Jones is also accused of sending inside information on the health of a player that matches the profile of former Lakers’ All-Star forward Anthony Davis. Although Davis is not facing charges either, two other NBA figures are – Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and former Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier.

Jones is not cooperating with the government, according to his attorney Kenneth Montgomery.

“There is a normal federal process for defendants who plead in a federal criminal matter,” Montgomery told iGB Friday. “This case will proceed in that normal process like the thousands of federal cases in this district. No, he is not a cooperator.”

The epicenter of the case

As with Billups, Jones is one of more than two dozen defendants in US vs Aiello, a rigged poker case that includes several members of New York organised crime families. In addition, Jones is one of three defendants also charged in US vs Earnest, a comprehensive illegal sports betting case. There, he is accused of selling information to a ringleader on the injury status of the two unnamed Lakers’ players for betting purposes. Jones is facing federal charges on wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy.

Jones, Billups and Rozier were among the defendants indicted last October following a nationwide sweep by federal law enforcement. The FBI, in conjunction with the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, announced the charges at a press conference in Brooklyn. Rozier, a first-round pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, is accused of deliberately underperforming in a regular-season game to secure a betting outcome for an acquaintance.

“Let’s not mince words, this is the insider trading saga for the NBA,” FBI Director Kash Patel said at the press conference.

Since then, the three NBA figures have made multiple appearances at a courthouse within a mile of the Brooklyn Bridge. At the same time, two MLB pitchers, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, are facing separate charges in Brooklyn involving rigged pitching allegations. Barring unforeseen changes, the two pitchers’ trial is expected to begin this fall, per sources.

Harkening back to the 2007 NBA Playoffs

In Game 4 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals, Jones played 14 minutes in the Cavaliers’ 109-107 double overtime victory over the Detroit Pistons. James, meanwhile, torched the Pistons for 48 points in a game that helped propel him to future stardom. Billups, incidentally, led the Pistons with 21 points.

Minutes before a November status hearing in Brooklyn, Billups sat at an expansive court table while Jones walked by a few feet away. Neither former player shook hands, nor spoke to each other, in the tense encounter. Billups is facing multiple counts in the illegal poker case. When asked by iGB last month if he plans to plead guilty, Billups declined to comment.

By 2023, Jones reconnected with James while serving as an unpaid assistant with the Lakers. That February, James missed a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks, two days after setting the NBA’s all-time record for career points. Jones, according to a criminal complaint, received $2,500 for passing information that a certain Lakers player would not appear in the game – James missed the game with an ankle injury.

Prior to Jones’ hearing at the end of this month, the government is facing a 20 April deadline to submit several filings to US Magistrate Judge Joseph Marutollo. The judge has ordered prosecutors to file an elements sheet, a plea penalty sheet known as a Pimentel letter, and a letter indicating its position regarding detention. The government filed a three-page proposed plea agreement, according to a letter submitted to the judge Thursday. As of Friday, the filing remained sealed.

Jones’ hearing is scheduled to take place one day after a motion to dismiss hearing for Rozier in the same courthouse. The Miami Heat formally released Rozier this week.

Tonko: Integrity commitment rings hollow

In the aftermath of the 2018 explosion of sports betting post-PASPA, political leaders on the state and federal level have questioned whether the industry’s expansion has tarnished the integrity of sports.

New York Representative Paul Tonko, a co-author of the SAFE Bet Act, has sought to create a federal framework for legalised sports wagering. Last fall, Tonko sent letters to at least seven sports league commissioners urging them to support integrity safeguards embedded in the bill.

“Claims of prioritising integrity ring hollow when leagues have sold credibility to gambling operators, integrated betting content into broadcasts, normalised wagering for teenagers, glorified it in advertising, and then failed to prevent criminal conduct from taking hold within the sport,” Tonko wrote in the letters.

Next week, Tonko is scheduled to appear at a public health workshop in Boston alongside Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal, the other co-author of the act. Earlier this month, Blumenthal sent a letter to numerous league commissioners to express concerns on the further entrenchment of gambling and prediction markets in professional sports.

Matt Rybaltowski

Matt is primarily responsible for long-form feature coverage on complex sports betting scandals. He also provides coverage on finance, M&A and other technological developments.