Ex-Lakers assistant Damon Jones pleads guilty in federal gambling probe
Damon Jones, a former NBA player and Lakers assistant, became the first of 34 defendants to plead guilty Tuesday in an expansive federal gambling indictment in Brooklyn.
Former NBA player Damon Jones, arriving for a court date in Brooklyn, reached a plea deal in his illegal-gambling case. (Andres Kudacki / Getty Images) Former Lakers assistant coach Damon Jones became the first among 34 defendants to plead guilty Tuesday in an expansive gambling indictment that also ensnared Hall of Fame player Chauncey Billups , Miami Heat star Terry Rozier and organized crime figures. Jones was a Lakers coach in 2022 and 2023, long after he retired from an 11-year NBA playing career with 11 teams.
Before a Feb. 9, 2023, game between the Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks in which LeBron James was a late scratch because of a foot injury, evidence showed that Jones urged a co-conspirator to “get a big bet on Milwaukee before the information is out! ” Jones urged his co-conspirator in a text: “Bet enough so Djones can eat to [sic] now!!!
” Jones and James were considered good friends for years. A person close to James told The Times in October that the Lakers star didn’t know that Jones was selling injury information to gamblers placing bets. Jones had entered not guilty pleas in November to the two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in sports betting and rigged poker game schemes.
However, during back-to-back hearings in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday, he entered guilty pleas to those charges. Read more: Plaschke: No sweep, big problem for Lakers after Game 4 loss to Rockets Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 6 before separate judges in the two cases.