Former NBA player Damon Jones pleads guilty in NBA gambling case
FILE-Former NBA player Damon Jones arrives to the US District Court on November 6, 2025 in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (Photo by Andres Kudacki/Getty Images)
Damon Jones, an ex-NBA player and assistant coach, became the first person to plead guilty Tuesday in an NBA gambling investigation that resulted in the arrests of over 30 people.
The 49-year-old entered a guilty plea to a single count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud during the first of consecutive plea-change hearings in Brooklyn federal court, according to The Associated Press.
Last year, Jones was arrested in October 2025 along with NBA veteran Terry Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers head coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, and others, including a sports bettor allegedly profited on player injury information.
Jones was one of three people charged in both the poker and sports betting schemes. Prosecutors said Monday they were pushing for additional charges against Rozier.
RELATED: Terry Rozier facing more federal charges in NBA gambling scheme
Jones read a prepared statement to the court and admitted that he conspired with others to defraud sports betting companies by using ""insider information that I obtained as a result of my relationships as a former player."
He added, "I would like to sincerely apologize to the court, my family, my peers and also the National Basketball Association," the AP reported.
Jones is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 6, 2027, with the sentencing guidelines for conspiracy to commit wire fraud calling for a punishment of 21-27 months in jail.
The AP reported that Jones agreed to forfeit $35,000 and under the stipulations of his bail, he can’t gamble or be involved with organized crime figures and is required to get court approval for bank transfers of over $10,000 unless it’s for legal fees.
Court filings obtained by the AP find show that Jones is also separately charged with profiting from rigged poker games. Jones will appear in court later Tuesday, where he's expected to plead guilty in that case as well.
Who is Damon Jones?
The backstory:
Damon Jones played for 10 teams in 11 seasons from 1999 to 2009. Jones played with LeBron James in Cleveland from 2005 to 2008. Jones also served as an unofficial assistant coach for James’ Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022-2023 NBA season.
Referencing prosecutors, the Associated Press reported that Jones sold or tried to sell nonpublic information to sports betters that James and ex-Lakers forward Anthony Davis were injured and either wouldn’t be playing or would play less time in certain games.
Prosecutors allege that in a poker scheme, Jones was among ex-NBA players who used to entice unintended gamblers to poker games that were rigged using modified shuffling machines, hidden cameras, special sunglasses, and X-ray technology embedded into the game table.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by The Associated Press, which cites court documents and prosecutors in the Damon Jones case. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.