NBA gambling scandal: Damon Jones pleads not guilty on criminal conspiracy charges

Former NBA player and coach Damon Jones pleaded not guilty on two charges stemming from his alleged involvement in an illegal gambling scandal, per CBS News. Jones was then released on a $200,000 bond, and he is prohibited from gambling or making contact with organized crime as part of the bond terms.

Jones is facing charges in two cases. One of them involves an allegation that he provided insider information to a co-conspirator, who then used that data to bet on NBA games. The second case involves Jones allegedly luring other athletes into rigged poker games organized by the mafia with Jones accused of taking a cut of the money as compensation for his role.

In the first case, Jones allegedly sent a text to a co-conspirator on Feb. 9, 2023, in which he says, “Get a big bet on Milwaukee before the information is out! [Player 3] is out tonight.” As it happened, LeBron James missed the Los Angeles Lakers‘ game against the Bucks that night.

The other indictment accuses Jones, along with Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, of serving as a “face card” for rigged poker games set up by the mafia. Former players like Jones and Billups would lure in players, and the venue would feature X-ray tables, rigged shuffling machines, and glasses designed to see marked cards.

Miami Heat player Terry Rozier was also caught up in this scandal, and he is accused of passing along insider information to help co-conspirators bet on NBA games. At this time, neither Billups nor Rozier have entered a plea. They are set to appear in court on Nov. 24.

Billups, the coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, has been suspended while the legal process plays out. Tiago Splitter is serving as the interim in his place.

Rozier has also been suspended without pay, but the NBPA is challenging it. In a statement to ESPN, the NBPA said a suspension without pay is “counter to the presumption of innocence and inconsistent with the terms of our collective bargaining agreement.”

One day before Jones entered his not guilty pleas, NBA officials met with congressional staffers to discuss the gambling scandals and the league’s ties with sportsbooks, per the Associated Press.