LeBron James has found himself in the middle of another major drama. An FBI probe into gambling and sports rigging in the NBA has led to the arrests of Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups. While James isn’t currently involved directly, his name has come up in connection with a third potential suspect, Damon Jones.
Jones, a former NBA player, is also being charged in the investigation. According to CNN, the Department of Justice alleged that Jones “shared and sold insider information on numerous occasions about undisclosed information relating to NBA games, such as lineup decisions and pre-release medical information, to his co-conspirators.”
He allegedly shared information on two Los Angeles Lakers games, including one where James did not play. The NBA superstar opted to sit out the game on February 9, 2023, against the Milwaukee Bucks due to an injury. According to the indictment, Jones sent a text message to his co-conspirator, which read (via CNN):
Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out! [Player 3] is out tonight. Bet enough so Djones can eat to [sic] now!!!
Damon Jones also allegedly shared information on another top Lakers player ahead of their game on January 15, 2024. He allegedly learned from a trainer that the player was hurt. However, the indictment shared that Jones’s information was useless as the player played to form and the Lakers won the game. He allegedly had to repay the $2500 he received for the information.
Sources Claim LeBron James Was Unaware About Damon Jones’s Alleged Schemes
While the indictment mentions LeBron James only as Player 3, it was he who was injured during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks. It was alleged that the information about his injury was not made public at that point. Damon Jones was working as an unofficial assistant coach for the Lakers at the time. He worked with James during his pregame workouts.
He also previously worked with James when he played with him for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005-2008. He was also an assistant coach for the Cavs when James returned in 2014. Despite their long friendship, sources claimed that James was unaware of Jones’s schemes.
A source told NY Times’ The Athletic that James was unaware that Jones sold information about his injury and playing status. However, the Lakers declined to comment when the outlet reached out to the team. Interestingly, the match in question came two days after James broke the record of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
LeBron James’s Name Was Also Dragged Into the P Diddy Drama
In a resurfaced video on social media during Diddy’s indictment and arrest, LeBron James was seen joking around with Diddy. He can be seen in the video, telling the phrase, “Ain’t no party like a Diddy party.” The clip was from an Instagram Live session a few years ago.
However, there was no evidence linking the NBA star to any of Diddy’s alleged crimes. According to The Sun, James distanced himself from the hip hop mogul last year when rumors about Diddy started surfacing on social media. He unfollowed the rapper, but he wasn’t able to erase all evidence of their association.
James recently shut down the reports of him being an NBA billionaire. He claimed during his appearance on Complex’s 360 With Speedy that the data about his net worth on Google was a lie. According to Forbes, James has an estimated net worth of $1.3 billion.
What do you think of James’s involvement in the latest legal drama? Let us know in the comments below!
