NBA Betting Scandal Goes Far Beyond Terry Rozier and Damon Jones

BROOKLYN — The sprawling sports betting investigation that already led to one lifetime ban from the NBA exploded Thursday. Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was arrested at his team’s hotel and an unsealed indictment accused a longtime LeBron James confidant of selling information about his health to gamblers.

The charges were announced at a Thursday morning press briefing in Brooklyn that featured more than 20 law enforcement officials in person, including FBI director Kash Patel. Rozier, who has been linked to the gambling probe since January, was expected to be arraigned in court in Florida later on Thursday, although an exact time was not known, officials said.

The probe is the same investigation that led to Jontay Porter’s lifetime ban from the NBA last year.

The allegations against Rozier and others, including former NBA player and coach Damon Jones—who was also arrested Thursday—were from one of two indictments unsealed Thursday. The other centers around an alleged illegal poker ring that lured unsuspecting victims to play games with famous individuals, including Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups. Officials alleged that the scheme was run by the families that make up the La Cosa Nostra mafia in New York.

The defendants, including Rozier and Jones, were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Each charge could result in up to 20 years in prison. They will also have to forfeit any ill-gotten gains. In the poker case, Jones was charged with counts of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. 

Jones, who played 12 seasons in the NBA and later became an assistant coach, is the only NBA player named in both indictments—although there is a strong suggestion that Billups, who was only named in the poker indictment, is one of the unnamed co-conspirators in the gambling case.

In total, 31 people were arrested Thursday. Patel called the schemes “mind boggling,” and said the ill-gotten gains totaled “tens of millions” of dollars.

The betting indictment reveals specific allegations that had not previously been known. It details five specific instances of non-public information being sold over the course of 2023 and 2024 in order to be gambled on. Among the most notable allegations come from two March 2023 games—one where Rozier purposely took himself out of the game early, and another where the Blazers benched their starters and got blown out—as well as a February 2023 game in which LeBron James did not play.

The indictment also goes into an April 2023 game between the Magic and Cavaliers, and a January 2024 game between the Lakers and Thunder. With regard to the Magic game, it’s alleged that one defendant “leveraged a relationship” with an unnamed Magic player to find out that several players would sit out. (Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Wendell Carter Jr. are among the players that did not play.)

March 23, 2023: Hornets Lose to Pelicans, 115-96

Rozier, on the Hornets at the time, informed his childhood friend, Deniro Laster—also charged on Thursday—that he would pretend to be hurt and “prematurely remove himself from the game in the first quarter.” Rozier was not listed on the team’s required pre-game injury report.

Laster sold the information that Rozier would take himself out of the game to multiple conspirators, who bet the under on multiple Rozier statistics, for about $100,000, the indictment says.

Rozier did as he said, removing himself from the game after less than 10 minutes and never returning. He scored five points, two assists, and made one three-pointer, well below his averages of about 21 points, 5 assists and 2.6 threes.

After the game, Laster traveled to Philadelphia to collect proceeds, then drove to Rozier’s home in Charlotte, North Carolina. “During the early morning hours of April 1, 2023, Laster and Rozier counted the money that Laster had obtained from [Marves Fairley] in Philadelphia,” the indictment says.

March 24, 2023: Blazers lose to Bulls, 124-96

The next night, a co-conspirator allegedly helped the defendants get an edge by informing them the Blazers would purposely lose to increase their odds at getting a better draft pick. 

Billups was not named in the sports betting indictment, but this game suggests his involvement. Co-conspirator No. 8 is described as an “NBA player from approximately 1997 through 2014, and an NBA coach since at least 2021.” Billups was drafted third overall in 1997 by the Celtics, and played his final game in 2014. He was hired as the Blazers coach in 2021.

The indictment says that co-conspirator No. 8 told defendant Eric Earnest that the Blazers would be losing on purpose, and shortly before the game, it was announced that several of the team’s best players would not suit up (Damian Lillard, Jusuf Nurkic, Jerami Grant, and Anfernee Simons did not play). It was not public knowledge those players would not play when Earnest was informed about the plan to lose.

Before it came out publicly the Blazers would be without many of their best players, defendants placed wagers totaling approximately $100,000 on Portland losing.

The Blazers went on to lose by 28 points.

February 9, 2023: Lakers lose to Bucks, 115-106

The morning of this game, Jones sent a text message to co-conspirator No. 9, according to the indictment: “Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out! [Player 3] is out tonight . Bet enough so Djones can eat to [sic] now!!!”

Jones played three seasons with James on the Cavs, was an assistant coach with Cleveland during James’ second stint on the team, and was an “unofficial assistant coach” for the Lakers during the 2023-23 season.

“By virtue of his relationship with Player 3, the Lakers and other NBA personnel, the defendant Damon Jones had access to non-public information, including medical information that had not been released to the public,” the indictment says. 

The indictment alleges he sold such info, including related to the Feb. 9 game, to defendants “for the purpose of causing or enabling them to place fraudulent wagers based on the non-public information.”

James did not play that night, and there is no allegation he was involved in the scheme. (Representatives for James and the Lakers declined to comment.) The only other Laker who didn’t play was Scottie Pippen Jr.