Damon Jones Pleads Guilty in NBA Betting Scandal
Former NBA assistant coach and player Damon Jones was the first to plead guilty in an NBA gambling scandal with 34 defendants.
The NBA betting scandal is two-pronged: one issue involving the alleged passing of inside information to gamblers, and the other involving allegedly rigged poker games.
Jones is the first guilty plea
Jones is one of only three defendants embroiled in both cases, and his guilty pleas were for conspiracy to commit wire fraud in the illegal betting case and aiding in rigged poker games.
It is alleged that Jones fed inside information to gamblers about player availability and used his celebrity status to bring in high rollers to poker games that were rigged. The inside information he provided came from his time as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Ex-NBA player facing hefty prison sentence
In court, Jones made a statement on both issues. He stated that he “provided insider information” to gamblers and, regarding the other issue, stated, “I knew these games were rigged and players were being cheated.” He went on to say, “I would like to sincerely apologize to the court, my family, my peers, and the National Basketball Association.”
Since Jones made a guilty plea, prosecuting attorneys in the case recommended a reduced sentence, which will be handed down early next year. However, he faces prison time of 21 to 27 months for supplying gamblers with inside information and 63 to 87 months for the rigged poker games case.
Additional NBA defendants
The other two NBA names in the cases are Terry Rozier and Hall of Famer and current Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups.
It has been reported that Rozier could face more charges from federal prosecutors. After he was arrested in October 2025, he was placed on leave and has not played this season, having been waived by the Miami Heat in early April.
Rozier won a hearing in February, in which it was ruled that the NBA had to release his salary for the season, which is $26.4 million.
Billups has also been on leave since his October arrest on allegations of participating in rigged poker games. His trial is scheduled for September, and he has pleaded not guilty.
Jones submits first guilty plea, but likely not the last
While Jones was the first to make a plea in the current scandal that rocked the NBA, recent court filings point to another likely plea.
Michael Fairley is another defendant in the illegal sports betting case and is expected to enter a guilty plea. Fairley is also a defendant in a separate college basketball case in which he allegedly provided inside information to subscribers of a tipping service he ran.
In the NCAA case, Jalen Smith already pleaded guilty in March. He admitted to paying college players to underperform in their games, later arranging to make large bets on those games.
