Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones is expected to plead guilty to sports gambling charges, a court filing showed Thursday, in a betting scandal that engulfed elite US basketball.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Jones, 49, was charged over his alleged role in a scheme that prosecutors say provided inside information on injuries and game absences to bettors between December 2022 and March 2024.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In one instance, he allegedly shared that LeBron James would not play due to injury in a Los Angeles Lakers game against the Milwaukee Bucks before that information was made public.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Jones initially denied the charges but, according to the filing, will change his plea at an April 28 hearing in New York City.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He is the first of six defendants charged in the case, including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, to signal he will plead guilty.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Jones is also charged in a second, separate case in which he has pleaded not guilty.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
That involves a national network of mafia-linked rigged poker games encompassing around 30 people and the use of highly sophisticated cheating equipment including X-ray tables.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Jones had a modest playing career across 11 different teams, notably the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005 to 2008, where he played alongside four-time NBA champion James.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He later became an assistant coach, working again for the Cavaliers from 2016 to 2018 during James's second stint in Ohio.<\/p>\r\n\r\n