Jones plans to plead guilty in NBA gambling case

Former NBA player and coach Damon Jones plans to plead guilty to charges he provided sports bettors with nonpublic information about injuries to stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, ABC News reported Thursday, citing a court filing.

Jones' change-of-plea hearing has not yet been scheduled. Jones had pleaded not guilty to the charges in November. He would become the first defendant in the case to plead guilty.

Jones was charged with NBA player Terry Rozier and others after federal prosecutors accused them of helping a network of bettors who made wagers based on nonpublic information.

Rozier, who was waived by the Miami Heat last week, has pleaded not guilty and has asked a judge to dismiss his charges. A hearing in his case is scheduled for later this month.

Jones, an NBA journeyman, earned more than $20 million playing for 10 teams in 11 seasons from 1999 to 2009. He and James played together with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005 to 2008, and Jones served as an unofficial assistant coach for James' Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022-23 season.

According to prosecutors, Jones sold or attempted to sell nonpublic information to bettors that James was injured and wouldn't be playing in a Feb. 9, 2023, game against the Milwaukee Bucks, texting an unnamed co-conspirator: "Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out."

James wasn't listed on the Lakers' injury report at the time of the text message, but the NBA's career scoring leader was later ruled out because of a lower-body injury, according to prosecutors, and the Lakers lost the game 115-106.

On Jan. 15, 2024, prosecutors said, sports bettor Marves Fairley paid Jones approximately $2,500 for a tip that Davis, the Lakers' forward/center at the time, would see limited playing time against the Oklahoma City Thunder because of an injury.

Fairley placed a $100,000 bet on the Thunder to win, prosecutors said, but the tip was wrong. Davis played his usual minutes, scored 27 points and collected 15 rebounds in a 112-105 Lakers win, prompting Fairley to demand a refund of his $2,500 fee, prosecutors said.