Former NBA player Damon Jones has been criminally charged in a sweeping federal indictment alleging that he leaked confidential injury information about LeBron James and Anthony Davis to sports bettors while working with the Los Angeles Lakers.
According to court documents filed Thursday, October 23, in the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, Jones, 41, allegedly provided non-public details about player availability to co-conspirators before key NBA games. Prosecutors say he leaked LeBron James’ injury status before a February 2023 game and Anthony Davis’ “probable” status ahead of a January 2024 matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The information reportedly led to a $100,000 wager placed against the Lakers, who nonetheless won the game.
The indictment names Jones alongside five others Eric Earnest, Marves Fairley, Shane Hennen, Deniro Laster, and Terry Rozier accusing them of using insider NBA information between December 2022 and March 2024 to place fraudulent sports bets and launder profits. Jones, who served as an unofficial Lakers coach in 2023, previously played with LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In a related crackdown, the FBI announced the arrests of 31 individuals in two connected cases involving illegal betting and gambling operations spanning multiple states. Among those arrested was Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, who authorities say took part in high-stakes illegal poker games across Manhattan, Miami, Las Vegas, and the Hamptons involving members of three New York mafia families.
FBI Director Kash Patel described the coordinated operation as “a historic takedown” that exposed a “criminal enterprise linking professional basketball and organized crime.” Patel said the arrests targeted current and former NBA players and coaches involved in illegal gambling and sports rigging schemes.
Billups, a former NBA Finals MVP and Hall of Famer now in his fifth season coaching the Trail Blazers, has not commented publicly on the charges. Both he and Jones allegedly received payments for their roles in the illicit games.
The indictment was unsealed a day after the NCAA announced new rules allowing Division II and III athletes and staff to bet on professional sports starting November 1 though betting on college sports remains banned.
