A former player tied to a major NBA betting scandal seemingly wants to switch his stance in one of the federal cases against him.
Key Takeaways
- Ex-NBA player Damon Jones is tied to the betting scandal and the rigged poker games.
- Jones hasn’t changed his not guilty plea in the other charge.
- He allegedly provided bettors with the injury information for LeBron James and Anthony Davis for profit.
Damon Jones originally pleaded not guilty in November 2025 to providing injury information on star NBA players LeBron James and Anthony Davis to bettors. However, he has requested a change-of-plea hearing, according to ABC News, citing court documents.
The hearing has reportedly been scheduled for April 28.
Jones allegedly twice attempted to sell personnel information to a group of bettors that included Marves Fairley and Shane Hennen. Jones, who played 11 seasons in the NBA for 10 teams, was charged by federal prosecutors in the same case involving Terry Rozier in October 2025.
He was also named in the indictment as a part of a rigged poker game with suspended Portland Trail Blazers head coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups. Jones hasn’t altered his not guilty plea to that charge.
Enjoying Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account
Insider information instance
The first occasion occurred before a February 9, 2023, game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks, when he had a close relationship with James as an unofficial assistant coach.
Jones told the group of co-conspirators that James was going to miss the game. He told them in a text message to “get a big bet on Milwaukee” before the public information on James’ status was released, and Jones asked them to “bet enough” that he would get a piece of the winnings.
James indeed sat out. The Lakers lost the game, and the group of bettors profited from nonpublic information, according to the indictment. James, also a former teammate of Jones, was not implicated in the scheme.
“As alleged, the defendants turned professional basketball into a criminal betting operation, using private locker room and medical information to enrich themselves and cheat legitimate sportsbooks,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said in a statement last year. “This was a sophisticated conspiracy involving athletes, coaches, and intermediaries who exploited confidential information for profit.”
Other alleged improprieties
In January 2024, Fairley paid Jones $2,500 on a peer-to-peer transaction app for injury information reportedly on Davis, who was listed as probable for the game.
The conspirators thought Davis would sit, but he played, and the Lakers won. Fairley asked for his money back, but Jones claimed it was “credible” insider information, the indictment notes.
Fairley has also pleaded not guilty and said he didn’t benefit from Jones’ nonpublic NBA player injury information.
In the other case, Jones is accused, with Billups, of luring poker players into a game rigged by the mob. The defendants, who have also pleaded not guilty, allegedly used sophisticated electronic equipment to cheat players out of millions of dollars, according to the indictment.
