NBA Seeks Lakers’ Records as Gambling Investigation Expands
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An independent law firm hired by the NBA has asked several clubs and individuals, including the Los Angeles Lakers, to preserve documents and electronic records as part of the league’s ongoing probe into alleged illegal gambling, a league spokesperson confirmed on Saturday.
The request follows a federal indictment that led to the Oct. 23 arrests of Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA player and coach Damon Jones. The indictment alleges that confidential injury information was sold to bettors during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.
League statement
“The NBA engaged an independent law firm to investigate the allegations in the indictment once it was made public,” the spokesperson said in a written statement shared with multiple outlets. “As is standard in these kinds of investigations, a number of different individuals and organizations were asked to preserve documents and records. Everyone has been fully cooperative.”
Lakers staff contacted
Sources told ESPN that investigators have reached out to roughly a dozen Lakers employees, among them assistant athletic trainer Mike Mancias and executive administrator Randy Mims. According to The Athletic, both voluntarily turned over their cellphones. Mancias, Mims, and Jones all have longstanding ties to LeBron James, who is not mentioned in the indictment and faces no allegations of wrongdoing.
Allegations against Damon Jones
Prosecutors say Jones, described in the indictment as an unofficial Lakers assistant during the 2022-23 campaign, passed along private injury updates to gamblers. In one instance, he allegedly told co-defendant Eric Earnest that a key Lakers player would be limited in a Jan. 15, 2024 game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Earnest then relayed the tip to bettor Marves Fairley, who reportedly wagered about $100,000 against Los Angeles. The player ultimately logged normal minutes and the Lakers won, prompting Fairley—through Earnest—to demand a refund of the $2,500 he had paid Jones for the information.
Jones pleaded not guilty to wire fraud and money-laundering charges last week in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, New York.
Claims involving Terry Rozier
The same indictment accuses Rozier of telling childhood friend Deniro Laster that he intended to exit a March 23, 2023 matchup between the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans during the first quarter. Laster allegedly sold the tip to Fairley and another bettor for roughly $100,000. Prosecutors say more than $263,000 in “under” wagers were placed on Rozier’s statistics before he left the game after a little over nine minutes with a reported foot injury. Rozier, who was not listed on the injury report, is scheduled for arraignment on Dec. 8 in Brooklyn. His attorney has asserted the guard’s innocence.
Capitol Hill inquiries
Following the indictment and related arrests—34 people in total—House and Senate committees sent letters to the NBA seeking details about the league’s relationships with sportsbooks and its integrity policies.
Additional indictment involving Chauncey Billups
Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups was charged in a separate case involving allegedly rigged poker games, not sports betting. However, an unnamed co-conspirator whose career timeline closely mirrors Billups’ was accused of tipping a bettor about Portland’s plan to rest several players ahead of a March 24, 2023 contest against the Chicago Bulls.
Source: ESPN
