An NBA gambling scandal reared its head on Thursday morning, and it appears LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers have some involvement.
Among the people who were arrested on Thursday morning were Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and former player and coach Damon Jones.
According to the FBI, Rozier was arrested for his potential involvement in gambling on the NBA, while Billups was arrested for his involvement in an illegal poker operations tied to the Mafia.
Jones, on the other hand, appears to be involved in both the NBA gambling and poker scandals. He is a former teammate and close friend of James and has spent time around the Lakers in recent years. According to Dan Woike, Mike Vorkunov, Joe Vardon and Mike Prada of The Athletic, Jones tipped bettors on a game LeBron was ruled out of against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2023:
Damon Jones, who had restricted access to the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022-23 season to work with LeBron James, is alleged to have shared non-public information about James with gamblers just days after James set the league’s all-time scoring record.
The Feb. 9, 2023, game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers referenced in the FBI’s investigation into sports betting was one that James did not play in. He was ruled out due to ankle soreness. The game came two days after James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
According to the indictment, Jones, a friend of James’ who was not an employee of the Lakers, sold or tried to profit from non-public information so that others could bet on it, including alleged co-conspirators Eric Earnest and Marves Fairley. It was about who would not be playing or if they would pull themselves out of games early.
A league source with knowledge of the situation told The Athletic that James was unaware that Jones shared information about his playing status.
Jones also shared information on another top Lakers player, the indictment said, ahead of a January 15, 2024, game after he learned from a trainer that the player was hurt and his minutes or performance would be affected. Marves Fairley, another defendant, bet $100,000 against the Lakers for this game, and the injury report simply said that the player was probable.
The Lakers declined to comment when reached by The Athletic.
Before the Feb. 9, 2023, Lakers game against the Bucks, Jones texted an unnamed co-conspirator that a player was out and they should bet the Bucks. The player was not yet on the injury report. He also gave information on the 2023-24 Lakers, including Player 4, who the DOJ said was one of the Lakers’ best players that season.
James also did not play in the Lakers’ next two games before returning in the team’s final game before the All-Star break on Feb. 15, 2023.
As was stated in the report, Jones has never been a formal employee of the Lakers and James appeared to be in the dark that this was happening.
In the first game referenced, the Lakers lost to the Bucks at home, 115-106. It was the night of the trade deadline that season and the Lakers had just struck a deal to acquire D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt in a trade involving Russell Westbrook. So in addition to James being ruled out, they were also missing a significant portion of their roster in the loss.
The FBI also mentioned the Lakers as one of the teams that were bet on in this scandal:
The Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors, Charlotte Hornets, and Portland Trail Blazers were teams bet on using insider information in the illegal sports gambling operation, per @FBI. pic.twitter.com/IRjL9gk4a6
— APHoops (@APH00PS) October 23, 2025
Sports gambling seems to have become a major issue in the NBA, and Thursday’s findings may only be scratching the surface so this will be something to continue monitoring moving forward, especially if the Lakers are involved.
JJ Redick credits LeBron James for helping in Lakers film session
On the court, the Lakers dropped their season opener against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. There were a number of issues that the team has to correct, but they addressed them in a film session and head coach JJ Redick credited LeBron James for his involvement despite currently being out with an injury.
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