Ex-NBA player Damon Jones is
expected to become first person to plead guilty in gambling sweep
[April 17, 2026]
By MICHAEL R. SISAK
NEW YORK (AP) — Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones is
expected to become the first person to plead guilty in a gambling
sweep that led to the arrests of more than 30 people, including
reputed mobsters and other basketball figures.
A change-of-plea hearing for Jones is scheduled for April 28 in
Brooklyn federal court, according to a court filing Thursday. It was
originally set for May 6, but was moved at the request of the
parties.
Jones, 49, had previously pleaded not guilty to separate indictments
charging him with profiting from rigged poker games and providing
sports bettors with non-public information about injuries to stars
LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Jones is charged in both cases with wire fraud conspiracy and money
laundering conspiracy.
A message seeking comment was left for his lawyer, Kenneth
Montgomery. He told a judge at Jones’ arraignments in November that
they “may be engaging in plea negotiations.”
Jones, a onetime teammate of James, was arrested last October along
with Portland Trail Blazers head coach and Basketball Hall of Famer
Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and others,
including a sports bettor accused of cashing in on injury
information.
Jones was one of three people charged in both the poker and sports
betting schemes. He remains free on bail.
A native of Galveston, Texas, Jones earned more than $20 million
playing for 10 teams in 11 seasons from 1999 to 2009. He and James
played together in Cleveland from 2005 to 2008 and Jones served as
an unofficial assistant coach for James’ Los Angeles Lakers during
the 2022-2023 season.
According to prosecutors, Jones sold or attempted to sell non-public
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 all-time scoring leader was later ruled
out of the game 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 and center at the time, would see limited playing time
against the Oklahoma City Thunder because of an injury.
[to top of second column] |
Former NBA basketball player and assistant coach Damon Jones arrives
at Brooklyn federal court, Monday, Nov. 24, 2025, in New York. (AP
Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
Fairley then 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.
In the poker scheme, according to prosecutors, Jones was among
former NBA players used to lure unwitting players into poker games
that were rigged using altered shuffling machines, hidden cameras,
special sunglasses and even X-ray equipment built into the table.
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 others involved in the scheme. His instructor likened those
people to James and NBA All-Star Steph Curry, prosecutors said. When
in doubt, Jones was told to fold his hand, prosecutors said.
In response, according to prosecutors, Jones texted: “y’all know I
know what I’m doing!!”
The poker scheme often made use of illegal poker games run by New
York crime families that required them to share a portion of their
proceeds with the Gambino, Genovese and Bonnano crime families,
according to prosecutors.
Members of those families, in turn, also helped commit violent acts,
including assault, extortion and robbery, to ensure repayment of
debts and the continued success of the operation, officials said in
court documents.
A hot hand from outside the three-point arc, Jones once proclaimed
himself in an interview with insidehoops.com as “the best shooter in
the world.” He played in every regular season game for three
consecutive seasons from 2003 to 2006.
After his playing days, he worked as a “shooting consultant” for the
Cavaliers and was an assistant coach when the team, led by James,
won the NBA championship in 2016.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved
 |
