Where Things Stand With the NBA’s Gambling Investigation

The law firm the NBA hired to investigate sports betting allegations—stemming from last month’s federal indictment that named Terry Rozier and Damon Jones—has officially begun its work.

It’s been about a month since the NBA gambling scandal broke as part of a sprawling federal investigation that produced two indictments—one centered on the sharing of insider information for sports betting, and another targeting a series of Mafia-backed poker games that were allegedly rigged.

The indictment accuses Heat guard Terry Rozier of purposely removing himself from a game early, claims former player and coach Damon Jones sold nonpublic information, and suggests Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups tipped off bettors that the team was tanking. 

Now, a new report shows the league’s outside counsel, Wachtell Lipton, has begun taking concrete steps, starting with outreach to relevant teams.

The firm has contacted multiple teams, including the Lakers, to obtain documents, information, and other property, such as cellphones, The Athletic reported Saturday. The Lakers are of interest because of Jones—who has significant connections to LeBron James and was named in both indictments. 

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

James has not been accused of anything, and there is currently no evidence suggesting any involvement in either scheme. 

The Athletic reports that at least 10 Lakers employees are expected to be contacted by Wachtell, and some already have, including assistant trainer Mike Mancias and executive administrator Randy Mims. Both have voluntarily provided their cellphones and are cooperating. The report notes they are employed by the Lakers “because of their ties to James.” 

At the moment, James’s involvement is solely due to Jones allegedly providing nonpublic information about players’ health status two times: once in January 2023 and again in February 2023. 

The first incident occurred in January 2023. Jones allegedly told one of the unnamed co-conspirators that a team trainer had informed him that two players—including James—would not play. James ended up playing that night, the Lakers won, and Jones was asked to repay the $2,500 he was allegedly paid to provide the information.

The second incident took place Feb. 9, 2023, when James missed a game against the Bucks due to injury. That morning, Jones texted a co-conspirator suggesting a bet on Milwaukee because a particular player—context makes clear it was James—would be out. The Bucks won 115–106.

The report also says that “at least two team executives for organizations mentioned in the charges against Jones and Rozier were notified by the league of an expanding investigation.” 

The indictment mentions 13 total teams, although only a few are directly connected to the allegations—those franchises are the Lakers, Clippers, Hornets, Bulls, Cavaliers, Bucks, Pelicans, Thunder, Magic, 76ers, Trail Blazers, Kings, and Raptors. 

Front Office Sports reached out to every NBA team, not just the ones mentioned in the indictment, to ask whether they’ve been contacted as part of the investigation. Most teams have not responded. A representative for the Mavericks tells FOS that “we don’t have any information to provide and aren’t commenting on any league matters at this time.” A representative for the Nets says that “we have no information to provide at this time. Any further inquiries would best be directed to the league.” The Heat and Suns declined to comment.

An NBA spokesperson told FOS in an email that the league “engaged an independent law firm to investigate the allegations in the indictment once it was made public.”

“As is standard in these kinds of investigations, a number of different individuals and organizations were asked to preserve documents and records,” the spokesperson said. “Everyone has been fully cooperative.”

As the NBA’s own investigation ramps up, the federal probe remains ongoing, and the league faces questions from lawmakers. In late October, a bipartisan group of House members requested a briefing on “sports fixing and illegal gambling.” A meeting was held this month with House staffers amid the federal government shutdown, but neither NBA commissioner Adam Silver nor deputy commissioner Mark Tatum attended. Separately, a Senate committee has also requested a briefing from the NBA.

Rozier and Jones were arrested and released on bond. Billups was also arrested and released on bond, but in connection with the poker indictment, not the sports-betting charges.