Damon Jones first to plead guilty after gambling probe; former NBA player, coach admits to selling insider information, participating in poker scheme
Jones is reportedly still free on bail and won't be sentenced until early next year.
Damon Jones played 11 seasons in the NBA from 1999-2009 and served as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2016-18. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) ASSOCIATED PRESS Damon Jones, a former NBA player and assistant coach, became the first defendant to plead guilty after an FBI gambling probe that led to more than 30 arrests last fall and two separate cases that have rocked the basketball world. During back-to-back hearings in Brooklyn federal court on Tuesday, Jones admitted to selling insider information to sports bettors and participating in a poker scheme backed by the Mafia, entering guilty pleas to two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his roles in the illegal gambling cases, according to multiple reports .
Jones, 49, was one of three people charged in both the sports betting case and the rigged poker ring case, per The Associated Press . He initially pleaded not guilty in each of those cases. A 3-point specialist who played 11 seasons in the NBA from 1999-2009, including three seasons with Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005-08, Jones additionally coached as an assistant for the Cavs from 2016-18 and as unofficial assistant for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022-23 campaign.
“I’d like to sincerely apologize to the court, my family, my peers and also the National Basketball Association,” Jones said Tuesday, according to The New York Times. Former NBA player and coach Damon Jones is the first person to plead guilty in a gambling sweep. ESPN Legal Analyst @ryansmithtv shares details and how it will affect others indicted in the case.
pic. twitter. com/e57CoLLcxK — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 28, 2026 Jones is still free on bail and won't be sentenced until Jan.
Continue to the original source for the full article.