NEW YORK.- The former player and former assistant coach of the NBA, Damon Jonespleaded guilty to charges related to sports betting, the US press reported this Tuesday, in the first conviction in a scandal that has shaken elite basketball in USA.
Jones, 49, was charged for his alleged role in a scheme that prosecutors say provided insider information to bettors about injuries and absences in NBA games between December 2022 and March 2024.
In one case, he shared that the star LeBron James would not play due to injury in a match of the Los Angeles Lakers against the Milwaukee Bucks before that information became public.
Jones initially denied the allegations but pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a New York court.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 2027.
“I would like to sincerely apologize to the court, to my family, to my colleagues and also to the National Basketball Association (NBA)”, he said during the hearing, according to the American press.
The former basketball player is the first of six defendants to plead guilty in the case, which includes the point guard of the Miami Heat, Terry Rozier.
Federal prosecutors plan to file more charges against Rozier, alleging that he “solicited and accepted a bribe,” The New York Times reported.
Jones was expected to plead guilty later Tuesday in a second separate case involving a nationwide ring of rigged, mob-linked poker games.
Around 30 people were involved in the scheme, which used highly sophisticated deception equipment, including X-ray tables.
Jones allegedly used his fame to lure victims.
Modest career
The former basketball player had a discreet career as a player in eleven different teams in the North American basketball league, particularly the Cleveland Cavaliers between 2005 and 2008, where he played alongside four-time NBA champion “King” James.
He later became an assistant coach. He worked again for the Cavaliers from 2016 to 2018 during James’ second stint in Ohio.
Jones was the American star’s personal trainer during the 2022–2023 season, after the star joined the Lakers, although without being employed by the team.
