A separate legal practice, operating independently and contracted by the NBA, has formally requested documentation from specific persons and NBA franchises. This request is part of the organization’s ongoing inquiry into purported unlawful betting activities, as detailed in a federal bill of indictment. The indictment led to the arrests of Terry Rozier, a guard for the Miami Heat, and Damon Jones, a former player and coach. The revelation was communicated to ESPN by an NBA representative.
The Athletic initially made public the latest actions undertaken during the investigative process on the prior Saturday.
“The NBA has enlisted the services of a distinct law practice to conduct an investigation into the allegations outlined in the indictment, commencing promptly upon its public disclosure,” an NBA spokesperson conveyed to ESPN and various other media entities through an official statement. “In accordance with customary protocols for investigations of this nature, requests for the preservation of documents and records have been extended to a spectrum of individuals and entities. Full cooperation has been received from all parties involved.”
Numerous NBA teams have been approached by the investigators, with the Los Angeles Lakers among those contacted, according to sources cited by ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Mike Mancias, assistant trainer for the Lakers, and Randy Mims, an executive administrator, figure among the approximate total of twelve team personnel who have been engaged and are offering their cooperation to the inquiry, sources indicated. As reported by The Athletic, Mancias and Mims both willingly submitted their mobile phones to the individuals conducting the investigation.
Mancias, Mims, and Jones share longstanding connections with LeBron James; it is important to note that James is not named in the aforementioned indictment, nor has he faced accusations of impropriety.
Federal prosecuting attorneys allege that Jones engaged in the practice of disseminating confidential injury-related information regarding Lakers players to individuals involved in gambling activities during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. Claims are put forth that, in one particular instance, Jones acquired said information from a team trainer.
In the context of the indictment, prosecutors characterized Jones as serving in an unofficial assistant coaching capacity for the Lakers during the 2022-23 season. Regarding the subsequent season, prosecutors assert that Jones professed to have learned, by way of a team trainer, about an injury impacting a prominent player on the Lakers, suggesting said player’s participation would likely be restricted in a game on January 15, 2024, against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
As per the indictment, Jones proceeded to share this intelligence with co-defendant Eric Earnest, who, in turn, provided the details to co-defendant Marves Fairley, an individual with known affiliations to betting activities. The indictment alleges that Fairley subsequently placed a wager of approximately $100,000 against the Lakers. However, the player in question participated for his usual duration, and Los Angeles emerged victorious in the game. Fairley, acting through Earnest, reportedly requested Jones to reimburse the $2,500 he had remitted for the injury-related information, according to the indictment.
Jones formally entered a plea of not guilty to charges of wire fraud and money laundering during a court appearance last week in federal court located in Brooklyn, New York.
It is alleged that Rozier provided advance notification to co-defendant Deniro Laster, a childhood acquaintance, indicating his intention to withdraw from a game played on March 23, 2023, between the Charlotte Hornets and the New Orleans Pelicans during the first quarter. Rozier, at the time affiliated with the Hornets, was not listed on the team’s formal injury report for the specified game. Prosecutors claim Laster then commercialized this privileged information, offering it to Fairley and an additional, unnamed co-conspirator for a sum approximating $100,000.
The indictment states that gamblers, in possession of this inside knowledge, proceeded to place wagers exceeding $263,000 on outcomes falling below Rozier’s statistical averages. Rozier subsequently left the game, attributing his departure to a foot injury, after participating for a period slightly exceeding nine minutes.
Rozier’s arraignment is presently scheduled for December 8 in Brooklyn. Legal representation for Rozier has stated their client maintains his innocence in the matter.
Following the arrests of 34 individuals, including Rozier, Jones, and Chauncey Billups, coach for the Portland Trail Blazers, on October 23 in connection with two separate gambling indictments, congressional committees within both the House and Senate have formally communicated with the NBA. These letters sought clarification on the league’s policies and its associations with various sportsbook operators.
Billups was charged in an indictment focusing on alleged manipulated poker games. He was not referenced in the indictment pertaining to sports betting.
Nonetheless, an unnamed co-conspirator, whose career trajectory aligns closely with that of Billups, was accused of divulging non-public details to a bettor. This information concerned the Trail Blazers’ strategy to withhold several players from participating in a game against the Chicago Bulls on March 24, 2023.
