Damon Jones will plead guilty today in federal court in Brooklyn. The former Lakers forward and assistant coach becomes the first defendant to break in the massive illegal gambling ring that snared Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier. Jones provided inside information on player injuries, including details on LeBron James and Anthony Davis, to professional bettors while embedded with the Lakers staff.
He also lured high-rollers into Mafia-rigged poker games across Las Vegas, Miami, the Hamptons, and New York.
Federal prosecutors hit Jones with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering in two separate indictments unsealed last October. He sold non-public medical updates that moved betting lines and took cuts from rigged card tables backed by La Cosa Nostra families. Jones faces up to 40 years if convicted on all counts. His guilty plea hearing is set for April 28, but the shift comes as oral arguments kick off on motions to dismiss the broader case.
This operation exposed how NBA insiders funneled real-time locker room data into underground betting networks. Jones worked as an unofficial assistant with the Lakers in 2022-23 and beyond.
- He had access to injury reports and practice participation that gamblers used to win millions on player props and game spreads.
- The feds documented multiple instances where Jones passed tips on James and Davis that directly influenced wagers placed through co-conspirators.
Billups stands charged in the poker side of the scheme. Prosecutors call him a “face card” who used his Hall of Fame status to draw wealthy victims into games rigged with marked decks and electronic shufflers. Billups participated in at least two documented frauds that netted the mob tens of thousands per sitting. He received direct payments after one Las Vegas game in 2019. Billups pleaded not guilty in November and remains on unpaid leave from the Trail Blazers. His lawyers argue procedural flaws and seek full dismissal.
🚨 NBA Gambling Scandal Explodes
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) April 27, 2026
Oral arguments kick off today as former and current NBA players fight to dismiss charges in a massive illegal gambling ring.
Former Lakers forward Damon Jones is expected to be the first to plead guilty for his role in the scheme.
This sting… pic.twitter.com/tEqu2Q1r9i
Rozier faces charges tied to the betting information network. The Heat guard allegedly fed inside details that fed a separate sports wagering ring. He too pleaded not guilty and fights to stay on the court while the case drags forward. Both men joined Jones in the October sweeps that rounded up over 30 defendants, including made members of multiple crime families.
The FBI built the case through wiretaps, financial tracking, and cooperating witnesses. This was not street-level bookmaking. It was sophisticated coordination between NBA personnel, professional gamblers, and organized crime that manipulated markets the league claims to police.
- Mobile betting apps exploded league-wide in recent years, creating the exact environment where insider edges produce guaranteed profits.
- The NBA looked the other way while the money flowed until federal agents moved in.
Jones’s decision to plead guilty accelerates pressure on the remaining defendants. Prosecutors have extended plea offers across the board and set a November 2026 trial date for those who fight on. Billups and others continue motions to suppress evidence and dismiss counts, claiming overreach. Those arguments began today in Brooklyn federal court. Every denial of involvement now faces the reality of Jones on the witness stand spelling out exactly how the information and money moved.
This scandal reveals the structural weakness in professional sports under constant gambling expansion. Teams and leagues partnered with betting operators for revenue while failing to secure their own locker rooms and coaching staffs.
- Jones sat in Lakers facilities with direct access to stars.
- Billups coached in Portland with his name attached to mob poker rooms.
- Rozier played for Miami while allegedly feeding data.The system allowed it until the indictments dropped.
Federal authorities dismantled the ring through targeted surveillance that captured texts, bank transfers, and in-person meetings. The Mafia took its standard cut from rigged games and used violence threats against debtors who lost to the house edge. NBA figures provided the glamour that kept marks at the table. Jones’s flip supplies prosecutors the direct testimony needed to lock in convictions against the bigger names.
The NBA placed all involved on administrative leave and claims full cooperation with investigators. The league hired outside counsel to review internal controls. None of that changes the damage already done to public trust in game integrity. Bettors across the country placed millions based on information that never should have left team facilities. The house always wins when insiders play both sides.
Oral arguments today mark the next phase. Jones will deliver the guilty plea and begin cooperation. Billups, Rozier, and the rest will hear exactly how deep the penetration went. The federal case stands on documented evidence that connects NBA personnel to organized crime operations. No amount of legal maneuvering erases the facts already on record. This ring operated for years because key figures inside the league enabled it. Damon Jones just confirmed it under penalty of perjury. The rest will follow.
