NBA gambling scandal sees first guilty plea after former Lakers assistant's change of plans

Longtime NBA veteran Kevin Love talked to Fox News Digital about the "stain" of gambling in professional sports and hopes for a resolution.

After initially maintaining his innocence, NBA champion Damon Jones has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud after giving insider information before it was made public to benefit gamblers.

Jones became the first NBA figure in the scandal to plead guilty — he was charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.

Reading a prepared statement to the court, he acknowledged that he conspired with others to defraud sports betting companies by using "insider information that I obtained as a result of my relationships as a former player."

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Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones arrives at Brooklyn federal court in New York on April 28, 2026. (Yuki Iwamura/AP)

Jones told someone close to him that a "prominent" player on the Los Angeles Lakers, widely speculated to be LeBron James, would not play Feb. 9, 2023, before the information was public. Jones was an assistant for the team at the time.

James did not play in the game due to an ankle injury. The game was played two days after James scored 38 points to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer.

Jones also allegedly gave apparent inside information about another "one of the Lakers' best players" 11 months later, speculated to be Anthony Davis, regarding an injury that was likely to affect his performance. That ultimately backfired because the player "performed well," and the Lakers won, according to authorities.

"I would like to sincerely apologize to the court, my family, my peers and also the National Basketball Association," Jones said.

ZERO BS.