Assistant coach and former NBA player Damon Jones pleaded not guilty on Thursday on charges of rigged gambling.
Jones has been accused of profiting off rigged poker games in which he provided mafia-linked bookies with “nonpublic information about injuries to stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis,” per ESPN.
“Jones, a onetime teammate of James, said little during back-to-back arraignments in federal court in Brooklyn, letting his court-appointed lawyer enter not guilty pleas in a pair of cases stemming from last month’s federal takedown of sprawling gambling operations,” noted the outlet.
“Jones, 49, acknowledged he read both indictments and that he understood the charges and his bail conditions, which include his mother and stepfather putting up their Texas home as collateral for a $200,000 bond that will allow him to remain free pending trial,” it added.
Jones was arrested along with 30 others, including Portland Trail Blazers coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier.
Prosecutors claimed that Jones peddled nonpublic information to betters about LeBron James’ condition ahead of games, such as when he sat out of the Lakers matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks in February 2023.
“Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out,” he allegedly texted a co-conspirator.
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