Update on NBA gambling investigation: Lakers from several teams asked to turn over phones
In the wake of federal charges and arrests in two illegal gambling investigations — including Hall of Famer and Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, as well as former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones — the NBA’s investigation into those allegations is also moving forward, according to a new report.
That report also suggests that the NBA may soon tighten restrictions on injury reporting, which theoretically could have prevented cases of insider information about injuries from being sold to gamblers, leading to federal charges.
Announcement
Members of Congress asked the NBA why it had previously investigated Terry Rozier (another player arrested and charged by federal prosecutors) and found no evidence of this alleged gambling. The NBA responded by expanding its investigation. It had previously hired the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to handle the investigation, and now the firm has contacted several NBA teams, including the Lakers, asking for their phones, according to reports. The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, Mike Vorunov and Sam Amick.
Following charges filed against Damon Jones, a former NBA player and LeBron James’ former shooting coach who had special access to the Lakers, Wachtell investigators are expected to seek documents, including cell phones and phone records, from at least 10 Lakers employees, league sources told The Athletic. According to league sources, Lakers assistant coach Mike Mancias and executive administrator Randy Mims are among the employees who are already cooperating and who have voluntarily turned over their cellphones to investigators. Both Mancias and Mims are employed by the Lakers due to their ties to James.
To be clear, LeBron, Mancias and Mims are not accused of any crime nor were they named in the federal investigation, the questions are more about what they might have known about Jones and his actions (Jones was arrested in part for allegedly selling inside information about LeBron’s health and status to gamblers). Mancias is LeBron’s personal trainer and has been for decades, Mims has been close to LeBron throughout his career.
It’s not just the Lakers. The Athletic’s report speaks of a focus on several other teams.
Announcement
At least two team executives from organizations named in the allegations against Jones and Rozier have been notified by the league of an expanding investigation, league sources said.
According to the report, one of those teams apparently wasn’t Orlando. However, as noted by The Athletic, the Magic were named in the federal investigation, tied to allegations that a “former regular starter” sold information to players that the Magic planned to rest their starters in an April 2023 game against Cleveland. The Magic previously clarified that the player in question is no longer a member of the organization.
New guidelines for reporting injuries
A change may be coming soon in the wake of the investigation: The NBA is considering reviewing and tightening its injury reporting policies, according to the report.
Announcement
The NBA is moving toward major changes in team rules for reporting players’ injury status as part of the fallout from the ongoing betting scandal. In theory, the incidents involving the Lakers, Magic and Blazers could have been prevented with stricter rules governing when players must be declared injured in information released to the public.
Teams (some more than others, but all to some extent) try to keep injury information on hand, especially when it’s daily, both because it gives the team flexibility and because it forces opponents into a game plan for better chances. Teams are intentionally vague about injury status, sometimes driven by coaches or front offices seeking a competitive advantage (a trend that is far from unique to the NBA). Players will be officially listed as “daily” for weeks, and their status may change to “probable” or “available” as late as possible to allow them to participate in a game. The League is trying to exacerbate this situation.
It appears the league is poised to crack down on this issue with new regulations and guidelines, which could be introduced sooner rather than later.