By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Former NBA player and coach Damon Jones is expected to become the first person to plead guilty in a massive federal gambling sweep that has sent shockwaves through the basketball world.
According to court filings, a change-of-plea hearing for Jones is scheduled for April 28 in a Brooklyn federal court. He was among more than 30 individuals arrested last October, a group that included then Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, in connection with an expansive investigation involving illegal sports betting and rigged poker games.
Prosecutors allege that 49-year-old Jones leveraged his inside access to the Los Angeles Lakers to sell non-public injury information to bettors, most notably regarding the availability of LeBron James. This insider branch of the conspiracy also ensnared Rozier for his alleged role in providing sensitive information to gamblers. While Jones is accused of cashing in on the Lakers’ injury reports, the indictment suggests a broader network of NBA-adjacent figures who funneled proprietary team data to a sports betting ring that placed massive wagers based on the tips.
Beyond the sports betting allegations, Billups was charged in a sophisticated poker scheme. Officials claim that the two were used to lure wealthy victims into high-stakes games that were rigged using hidden cameras, altered shuffling machines, and X-ray technology. These games were allegedly linked to several New York crime families, with proceeds shared among the Gambino, Genovese, and Bonanno organizations.
Jones’s decision to change his plea marks a significant turning point in a case that continues to loom over the professional sports landscape.