The National Basketball Association (NBA) has substantially escalated its investigation into alleged illegal sports betting, a move directly following last month’s federal indictments against Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former player and coach Damon Jones.
The NBA has now retained an independent law firm to spearhead the inquiry regarding the illegal sports betting, and has issued broad requests for documents, mobile phones, and electronic records from individuals across several franchises.
The widening scope of the probe has brought the Los Angeles Lakers into sharp focus, with reports indicating that approximately a dozen staff members, including assistant trainer Mike Mancias and executive administrator Randy Mims, have been contacted by investigators. Both individuals have voluntarily surrendered their devices and are fully cooperating, though they have not been charged or named in federal documents.
This extensive internal evidence collection highlights the central role Jones is alleged to have played during his time in and around the team.
Federal prosecutors allege that Damon Jones utilized insider access to sell non-public injury information about Lakers players to a network of gamblers during the 2022–23 and 2023–24 seasons.
The indictment specifies one instance in January 2024 where Jones allegedly provided advance knowledge of a key player’s condition before a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Based on this tip, a bettor placed a substantial six-figure wager against the Lakers. Jones has pleaded not guilty to charges of wire fraud and money laundering.
Separately, Rozier is accused of informing a friend of his plan to exit a March 2023 game early in the first quarter, citing a foot issue, despite not appearing on the injury report. Prosecutors claim this information was leveraged to place over $263,000 in bets on his performance ‘unders.’ Rozier, scheduled for arraignment in December, maintains his innocence.
The league is coordinating with federal authorities as the investigation develops, which is part of a larger federal operation targeting organized crime and sports-related corruption.
This broader action also implicated Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups in charges related to alleged underground poker games, though he denies wrongdoing and is not named in the sports-betting indictment with Rozier and Jones.
