The former Cavalier guard is in some serious trouble after getting arrested by the FBI due to an NBA Gambling Probe.
Former Cleveland Cavaliers guard and coach Damon Jones was in the news yesterday after he was arrested on a gambling probe that was allegedly tied to the mafia.
Arrested along with Jones, was Hall of Fame guard and current Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, as well as guard for the Miami Heat, Terry Rozier.
It was a moment that sent shockwaves throughout the NBA, that many believe could be the first domino to have fallen in a much larger operation.
Billups was placed on immediate leave and Rozier likely won’t see the floor again this season, if at all.
But Jones’ involvement is a lot more concerning. He bounced around the league after he retired from playing, and even was on the Cavs coaching staff from when they captured the franchise’s first NBA Championship.
But his major transgression occurred when he was with the Los Angeles Lakers as an unofficial assistant coach in 2023.
Jones, who has always maintained a healthy relationship with current Lakers superstar LeBron James, was allegedly passing information along to an unnamed person that included injury news before it had been officially announced.
At the time, James had been dealing with an ankle injury and was eventually going to get ruled out of a February 9, 2023 game against the Milwaukee Bucks. But before the injury reports came out, Jones sent a text to the individual encouraging them to place a wager.
According to Jones’ indictment, he sent a text prior to that game saying “Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out!”
At the conclusion of that game, the Bucks covered the original 7.5 spread.
The indictment also stated that James wasn’t the only player Jones was disclosing information about. It wouldn’t say the player, but before a game on January 15, 2024, Jones learned from a trainer that the player was hurt and that he would either miss time, or have his minutes cut.
That ultimately sparked a wager from one of the defendants, Marves Fairley, who had put $100,000 on that game when initially that player was ruled "Probable."
However, according to Joe Vardon and Mike Vorunkov of The Athletic, who read the report, Jones’ information backfired.
“The Lakers, however, won the game, and the player played to form. Fairley asked Jones to repay him the $2,500 he was paid for the information, according to the indictment.”
It's a gigantic black eye for the NBA, but this story continues to develop.