NBA Orders Multiple Teams, Including Lakers, to Surrender Phones in Gambling Investigation
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The NBA has directed several franchises—among them the Los Angeles Lakers—to provide cell phones and other records as part of the league’s probe into alleged illegal gambling, according to six league sources cited by The Athletic on November 15.
The inquiry follows federal indictments announced last month against Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, and former NBA player Damon Jones. Jones previously worked as LeBron James’s shooting coach and had access to inside information about the Lakers.
New York–based law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is leading the investigation and has contacted teams to obtain electronic devices, the report said. Lakers assistant athletic trainer Mike Mancias and executive administrator Randy Mims have already turned over their phones voluntarily. Mancias has served as James’s personal trainer for roughly 20 years, while Mims has been a close friend of the four-time MVP since high school.
A league spokesman told The Athletic that an independent firm was retained once the indictment became public and that “numerous individuals and organizations” have been asked to preserve evidence. All parties, the spokesman added, have cooperated fully.
Neither James, Mancias, nor Mims has been charged, and none is named in any court filing. Investigators, however, are expected to review their connections to Jones, who is accused of twice selling confidential injury information about two Lakers players to gamblers.
Jones pleaded not guilty on November 6 in federal court in Brooklyn. Prosecutors allege he learned on the morning of February 9, 2023, that “Player 3” would miss that night’s game against Milwaukee and instructed an associate to place a large wager on the Bucks. James did not play in that matchup. A similar incident allegedly occurred ahead of a January 15, 2024, contest versus Oklahoma City.
The Athletic also reported that at least two executives from teams referenced in the federal filings have been notified of an expanding NBA investigation. Separate allegations claim a starting Orlando Magic player told a gambler that the club planned to rest its starters before an April 2023 game in Cleveland; that player is no longer with the Magic, and team officials have not been contacted by the Department of Justice, according to a league source.
Federal documents further state that illegal wagers were placed against Portland based on information from a coach fitting Billups’s description. Billups, however, currently faces charges only for participating in underground poker games.
Sources told The Athletic the NBA is in the process of tightening its rules on how teams report player injuries.
Source: Hoops Rumors
