The NBA has requested documents, phones, and other electronic records from multiple franchises, including the Los Angeles Lakers, as part of its widening investigation into illegal sports betting, according to The Athletic.
The move comes as the league faces increasing scrutiny from Congress following federal charges filed last month against several figures connected to NBA teams. The investigation intensified after former NBA player and longtime LeBron James associate Damon Jones was arrested and accused of selling private injury information to gamblers involving two unnamed Lakers stars.
Prosecutors allege Jones used inside access, earned through his close relationship with James, to tip bettors on at least two occasions. Jones has pleaded not guilty.
As part of the probe, investigators from the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, hired by the NBA, have contacted multiple teams and requested access to devices and records. At least 10 Lakers employees are expected to be approached.
Assistant trainer Mike Mancias and executive administrator Randy Mims, both longtime members of James’ inner circle, have already cooperated and voluntarily turned over their phones. NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said the league is fully committed to uncovering the scope of the alleged scheme.
“The NBA engaged an independent law firm to investigate the allegations in the indictment once it was made public,” the league said. “Everyone has been fully cooperative.”
James, Mancias, and Mims have not been accused of wrongdoing, nor have they been named in any federal filings. But their proximity to Jones has made the Lakers a central focus of the inquiry. The scandal follows several recent gambling-related cases involving NBA personnel.
Miami’s Terry Rozier and Portland head coach Chauncey Billups were arrested last month on federal charges tied to illegal betting activities. Rozier was accused of planning to manipulate his performance to influence betting outcomes in a 2023 game, while Billups was charged with defrauding players in illegal poker games, not for leaking injury information.
The government also cited illegal bets linked to the Orlando Magic and Portland Trail Blazers, including a Magic player who allegedly told a gambler the team planned to “tank” an April 2023 matchup. That unnamed player is no longer with the franchise.
The NBA has already banned former Raptors two-way player Jontay Porter for betting violations and is expected to implement stricter rules around injury reporting as fallout from the widening scandal.
