Source: Bettors allegedly got injury info on LeBron James

Former 11-year NBA player damon jones was arrested Thursday amid allegations that he allegedly disclosed privileged injury information about a “prominent” basketball player to promote illegal sports betting, authorities announced.

Lebron James A source close to James told ESPN that he was the key player.

The indictment did not accuse James of wrongdoing.

was one of the jones 34 people were arrestedTogether portland trail blazers Coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard terry rosieras part of an investigation that spanned years in nearly a dozen states and involved millions of dollars, FBI Director Kash Patel said.

Authorities announced that the investigation uncovered two separate cases – one on illegal sports betting and the other on rigged poker games involving the mafia.

Jones was an unofficial, unpaid part of the former Los Angeles Lakers The coach is no longer with Darwin Hamm’s staff and the team under current Lakers coach JJ Redick. After James stayed with Jones for several of his offseason workouts in the summer of 2022, Hamm invited Jones to be a part of team activities.

James was unaware that Jones, his former teammate and assistant coach cleveland cavaliersWhen Jones spent time around James and the Lakers during the 2022-23 season, the source said, he engaged in gambling activity. Federal indictment alleges that before Lakers game milwaukee bucks On February 9, 2023, Jones messaged a co-conspirator to “make a big bet on Milwaukee tonight” as James was about to be ruled out.

James, who passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in the last game on Feb. 7, 2023, will move on. missed three games in a row Due to pain in his left ankle.

Jones reportedly added via text: “Bet enough so Jones can eat [too] Now!!!”

Without James, Milwaukee lost to the Lakers 115–106.

Additionally, the indictment alleges that Jones provided non-public information to a co-conspirator in connection with a game against the Lakers the following season. oklahoma city thunder On January 15, 2024.

The Lakers had no comment on the allegations against Jones when contacted by ESPN Thursday morning.

Speaking after practice Thursday, Redick said the league’s anti-gambling rules have been reiterated for his team this season — independent of the FBI investigation.

“We’ve already had two meetings on this,” Reddick said. “Looking at the last two years it’s clearly at the forefront of everyone’s awareness, but other than that, there’s no other comment.”