Multiple NBA teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers, have been asked by the league to hand over cell phones and documents as part of its continued investigation into illegal sports betting, according to The Athletic.
Late last month, Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former player and coach Damon Jones were arrested by the FBI amid a wide-ranging investigation into rigged poker games and illegal sports betting. The scandal rocked the NBA and the sports world and the league has recently faced scrutiny from Congress over its gambling policies and relationship with sportsbooks.
“The NBA engaged an independent law firm to investigate the allegations in the indictment once it was made public,” an NBA spokesman told The Athletic in a statement. “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.”
In particular, Congress has sought answers as to why Rozier was allowed to continue playing after the league looked into suspicious betting patterns regarding a March 2023 game. Rozier played in more than 100 games before he was arrested in October. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said last month that the league “couldn’t find anything.”
“Terry, at the time, cooperated and gave the league office his phone. He sat down for an interview. We ultimately concluded that there was insufficient evidence — despite that abberational behavior — to move forward,” Silver said. “We then worked directly with law enforcement — as they said at the press conference, the league has been cooperating. That was obviously over two years ago. The federal government has subpoena power, can threaten to put people in jail, can do all kinds of things that the league office can’t do. We’ve been working with them since then.”
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Jack Maloney
After meeting with Congress, the NBA, through an outside law firm, reportedly began contacting teams to request phones, phone records and other items and documents as part of an expanded investigation into illegal gambling.
At least 10 Lakers employees are reportedly expected to be asked to surrender phones and phone records. Lakers assistant trainer Mike Mancias and executive administrator Randy Mims have already surrendered their phones and are cooperating with the investigation, per The Athletic.
Neither Mancias nor Mims have been charged with a crime, nor were they named in either of the indictments filed by the Department of Justice.
According to prosecutors, Jones sold information relating to the injury status of Lakers players and on at least one occasion allegedly received information from an unnamed trainer. The players were not named in the indictment, but context points to them being LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
NBA gambling investigation: Damon Jones allegedly sold information about LeBron James, Lakers
Jack Maloney
James reportedly had no knowledge that Jones was selling information about his injury status.
On Nov. 6, Jones pleaded not guilty to two charges. He was released on a $200,000 bond and he is prohibited from gambling or making contact with organized crime as part of the bond terms.
In the wake of the DOJ’s indictments, the NBA has begun the process of reviewing its gambling policies and exploring methods to protect the league and its players.
“Given the spread of legal betting to the majority of U.S. states, the recurrence of integrity issues across sports, and the emergence of novel betting formats and markets,” the league said in a memo last month. “this is an opportune time to carefully reassess how sports betting should be regulated and how sports leagues can best protect themselves, their players, and their fans.”
The league is also “barreling toward substantial changes in team rules for reporting injury statuses,” according to The Athletic.