Former Lakers assistant Damon Jones pleads guilty

Former Lakers assistant coach Damon Jones grew to become the first among 34 defendants to plead guilty Tuesday in an expansive playing indictment that also ensnared Hall of Fame participant Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat star Terry Rozier and organized crime figures.

Jones was a Lakers coach in 2022 and 2023, long after he retired from an 11-year NBA enjoying profession with 11 groups. Before a Feb. 9, 2023, recreation between the Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks in which LeBron James was a late scratch because of a foot injury, evidence confirmed that Jones urged a co-conspirator to “get a big bet on Milwaukee before the information is out!”

Jones urged his co-conspirator in a textual content: “Bet enough so Djones can eat to [sic] now!!!”

Jones and James have been thought of good buddies for years. An individual close to James told The Times in October that the Lakers star didn’t know that Jones was promoting injury data to gamblers inserting bets.

Jones had entered not guilty pleas in November to the 2 counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his position in sports activities betting and rigged poker recreation schemes. However, during back-to-back hearings in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday, he entered guilty pleas to those costs.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 6 before separate judges in the 2 circumstances. Guidelines call for 21 to 27 months in prison for the sports activities playing charge and 63 to 78 months for the charge on rigged poker video games. Prosecutors said they agreed to shave 15 months from the sentence in exchange for Jones pleading guilty by April 30.

He pleaded guilty in the sports activities betting case first. In a ready assertion, he acknowledged that he conspired with others to defraud sports activities betting corporations by utilizing “insider information that I obtained as a result of my relationships as a former player.”

Jones, 49, said the purpose of the sports activities betting conspiracy was to use his insider data of accidents to gamers to make money playing.

“I would like to sincerely apologize to the court, my family, my peers and also the National Basketball Association,” said Jones, who was paid $21 million as a participant.

Next got here pleading guilty to taking part in rigged poker video games. Jones admitted that he was paid to use his NBA movie star to lure deep-pocketed gamblers to poker video games in Miami and New York.

Again studying from a assertion, Jones said that, based on conversations with his co-conspirators at poker video games, “I knew these games were rigged and that players were being cheated.”

And again he concluded with an apology, addressing the court, his household and buddies.

“I’m really sorry to everyone involved for my actions,” he said.

Prosecutors said Monday they’d search extra costs against Rozier in the sports activities betting case because they’d developed evidence that the 10-year NBA veteran solicited a bribe during an alleged playing scheme.

According to the unique indictment, when Rozier performed for the Charlotte Hornets in 2023, he told buddies he was planning to go away a recreation early with a “supposed injury,” permitting others to place wagers. Rozier has made $135 million as a participant.

Billups, who performed with the Clippers for two seasons and later was a member of Clippers coach Ty Lue’s workers before being named head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers in 2021, is charged with rigging underground poker video games that authorities said have been backed by three of New York’s Mafia households. Billups, who was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2024, made $107 million as a participant.