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Former NBA player Damon Jones reportedly disclosed privileged injury information about LeBron James to facilitate illegal sports betting, a source close to James confirmed to ESPN on Thursday (October 23).
Jones, 49, who was James' teammate with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005 to 2008, was among the more than 30 individuals arrested in relation to a sweeping investigation into illegal sports betting and alleged Mafia-backed poker rigging schemes, FBI director Kash Patel announced during a news conference via NBC News. Jones and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups were among 31 defendants indicted in the second case, dubbed "Operation Royal Flush," in which suspects allegedly used high-tech cheating gadgets to steal millions from games backed by four of the "Five Families" long suspected to have ruled organized crime within the New York area.
Jones was reported to have disclosed privileged injury information about a "prominent" player, who a source closed to James confirmed was the five-time NBA champion. Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was among six defendants indicted in the first case, dubbed "Operation Nothing But Bet," accusing them of an insider sports betting scheme that "exploited confidential information," which U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. called “one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since only sports betting became widely legalized in the United States.”
Sportsbooks in multiple states reportedly flagged suspicious betting interest on Rozier's statistics prior to the March 23, 2023, game between the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans after a surge of bets were placed on the under on Rozier's points, rebounds and assists, causing the sportsbooks to halt the offerings, ESPN's Shams Charania reported earlier in the day. The guard, who played for the Hornets at the time, left the game after just 10 minutes with what was reported to be a foot injury.
Rozier is in the final season of a four-year, $96.3 million deal that he reached with the Hornets in August 2021 prior to being traded to the Heat in January 2024.
The NBA placed Billups and Rozier on administrative leave from their respective teams after both were federally charged in relation to a sweeping FBI investigation into illegal sports betting and alleged Mafia-backed poker rigging schemes.
"We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictments announced today," the NBA said in a statement re-shared by ESPN's Shams Charania on Thursday. "Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups are being placed on immediate leave from their teams, and we will continue to cooperate with the relevant authorities. We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority."