Lakers staff drawn into NBA gambling investigation after federal indictments

The NBA has stepped up its effect to a widening gambling scandal, asking aggregate teams and staffers to sphere records arsenic portion of an autarkic probe moving alongside national transgression cases.

A league spokesperson confirmed that an extracurricular steadfast is present starring the review, launched aft an indictment that led to the arrests of Miami Heat defender Terry Rozier and erstwhile subordinate and manager Damon Jones. “The NBA engaged an autarkic instrumentality steadfast to analyse the allegations successful the indictment erstwhile it was made public,” the spokesperson said. “As is modular successful these kinds of investigations, a fig of antithetic individuals and organizations were asked to sphere documents and records. Everyone has been afloat cooperative.”

Investigators person contacted respective franchises, including the Los Angeles Lakers. Assistant trainer Mike Mancias and enforcement head Randy Mims are among astir a twelve staffers who person been approached and are cooperating, according to sources. The Athletic reported that some men voluntarily handed implicit their phones. All 3 men — Mancias, Mims and Jones — person long-standing ties to LeBron James, who is not named successful the indictment and has not been accused of wrongdoing.

Allegations against Jones and Rozier spotlight wrong information

Federal prosecutors accidental Jones sold non-public wounded accusation astir Lakers players to gamblers during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, astatine 1 constituent obtaining details from a squad trainer. In a January 2024 crippled against the Oklahoma City Thunder, helium allegedly passed connection that a cardinal Laker would beryllium limited, prompting a $100,000 stake against Los Angeles. The subordinate ended up logging mean minutes, the Lakers won, and the bettor demanded a refund of the interest helium had paid Jones, according to the indictment. Jones has pleaded not blameworthy to ligament fraud and money-laundering charges.

Rozier is accused of tipping disconnected a puerility person that helium planned to exit a March 2023 crippled early, contempt not appearing connected the wounded report. Prosecutors accidental that accusation was resold, starring to much than $263,000 successful nether bets connected his statistic earlier helium near successful the archetypal 4th with a reported ft issue. Rozier’s lawyer says helium is innocent, and helium is owed to beryllium arraigned December 8 successful Brooklyn.

Congress presses NBA connected sportsbook ties arsenic scope widens

The ungraded present reaches beyond the courtroom and the league office. House and Senate committees person demanded details connected NBA rules and its relationships with sportsbooks aft 34 people, including Rozier, Jones and Portland Trail Blazers manager Chauncey Billups, were charged successful 2 abstracted gambling cases.

Billups faces accusations linked to allegedly rigged poker games, not sports betting. However, a abstracted indictment describes an unnamed co-conspirator whose vocation mirrors his, accused of sharing non-public accusation astir a March 2023 crippled successful which respective Trail Blazers were acceptable to beryllium against the Chicago Bulls.