Former NBA player Damon Jones may be jailed for two years after admitting gambling charges
Former NBA player Damon Jones admits to insider betting fraud in Brooklyn court
Former National Basketball Association player and assistant coach Damon Jones has pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud sports betting companies by exploiting non-public injury information he obtained through his relationships with current players, becoming the first person to admit wrongdoing in a sprawling gambling investigation that has netted more than 30 defendants, including reputed organised crime figures.
Jones, 49, entered his plea to a single count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud on Tuesday during the first of two back-to-back hearings in federal court in Brooklyn. Reading from a prepared statement, he told the court he conspired with others to use “insider information that I obtained as a result of my relationships as a former player” to place bets that violated both the NBA’s code of conduct and the terms of service of the sports-betting websites involved. “I would like to sincerely apologize to the court, my family, my peers and also the National Basketball Association,” Jones said.
The investigation, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York Police Department, began in 2023 and has resulted in charges against more than 30 people, including members of La Cosa Nostra families — the Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese families — as well as other basketball figures. Among those charged alongside Jones last October were former Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach and Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups. Rozier faces additional bribery charges, which prosecutors said Monday they are seeking to add. Billups has pleaded not guilty. None of the other defendants have indicated a willingness to plead guilty.
Inside the sports betting conspiracy
The conspiracy to which Jones admitted ran from December 2022 to March 2024, according to court filings. Prosecutors said Jones sold or attempted to sell non-public information about injuries to NBA stars — specifically LeBron James and former Lakers forward Anthony Davis — so that bettors could wager on games knowing whether the players would sit out or have their minutes limited.
One of the clearest examples cited by prosecutors occurred on 9 February 2023, when Jones allegedly texted a co-conspirator to place a large bet on the Milwaukee Bucks against the Lakers, stating that LeBron James would be out. James did not play in that game because of an ankle injury, and the Lakers lost. In another instance, on 15 January 2024, Jones provided information about Anthony Davis’s limited playing time against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the tip proved incorrect, prompting a demand from the bettor for a refund of the $2,500 fee, prosecutors said.
Jones acknowledged in court that his actions violated the NBA’s code of conduct and the terms of service on the sports betting websites he used. He agreed to forfeit $35,000 as part of his plea. Under the conditions of his bail he is prohibited from gambling, must avoid contact with organised crime figures, and must obtain court approval for any bank transfer exceeding $10,000 unless it is for legal fees.
The sentencing guidelines for conspiracy to commit wire fraud call for a punishment of 21 to 27 months in prison. Jones is scheduled to be sentenced on 6 January 2027.
The rigged poker games
Jones is also charged in a separate scheme involving rigged poker games, according to court filings, and appeared in court later on Tuesday expecting to plead guilty to that count as well. Prosecutors allege that he was one of several former NBA players used as “face cards” to lure unsuspecting gamblers to games that were secretly fixed with sophisticated cheating technology: altered shuffling machines, hidden cameras, special sunglasses and X-ray equipment built into the tables.
The poker games were allegedly backed by organised crime families. According to the indictment, Jones was paid $2,500 for a game in the Hamptons where he was instructed to cheat by paying close attention to the actions of others involved in the scheme. When in doubt, he was told to fold his hand. In a text message responding to those instructions, Jones wrote: “Y’all know I know what I’m doing!!”
The NBA said it is taking the indictments “with the utmost seriousness” and is cooperating with the investigation. Commissioner Adam Silver has said he is “deeply disturbed” by the events. Both Rozier and Billups were placed on indefinite leave by the league. The investigation has also touched former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter, who was banned for life in 2024 for betting-related violations.
Jones earned more than $20 million during an 11-season playing career that spanned ten teams from 1999 to 2009. His largest contract was a four-year, $16.1 million deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he played alongside LeBron James from 2005 to 2008. Jones later served as an unofficial assistant coach for James’s Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022–2023 season. James has not been accused of any wrongdoing. Despite his NBA earnings, Jones has faced financial difficulties, including bankruptcy filings in 2013 and 2015 and an eviction.
