The illegal betting scandal in the NBA is expanding! Stunning claim for Lakers

The NBA is requesting phone records, personal documents and other materials from several teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers, as part of a federal investigation into illegal gambling and betting. Confidential information, such as LeBron James' injury details, was allegedly sold for betting purposes and illegal profits.

As The Athletic reports, the NBA, which is overseen by the US Congress, is gathering new evidence in connection with the Justice Department's case, which was launched last month. In the wake of the arrests of Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, House and Senate committees have questioned why the league failed to adequately intervene in the schemes of players and coaches to leak private information to bookmakers. The NBA management told Congress that it was considering the charges and contacted the teams through the independent law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and requested cell phone access.

Special Review of the Lakers

The lawsuit against Damon Jones, former NBA player and one-time shooting coach of LeBron James, has led the investigation to focus on the Lakers. Wachtell investigators will request cell phone and communication records from at least 10 Lakers personnel. Assistant coach Mike Mancias and executive Randy Mims have already voluntarily turned over their phones, league sources said. Both are part of James' inner circle; Mancias has been his personal trainer for 20 years, while Mims has been James' friend since high school.

James, Mancias and Mims have not been charged so far, but Jones is alleged to have sold injury information on two Lakers stars to bookmakers. Jones pleaded innocent in Brooklyn federal court this month. An NBA spokesperson said they hired an independent firm after the indictment and ordered document retention as standard procedure: "Everyone is cooperating fully."

Injury Information Leaked on Two Star Players?

Prosecutors allege that on at least two occasions Jones sold injury details of Lakers stars (referred to in the indictment as "Player 3" and "Player 4").For example:

On February 9, 2023, Jones allegedly learned that "Player 3" would miss that evening's Lakers-Bucks game and had an associate place a high bet on the Bucks. The player was not on the injury report but did not play in the game - which matches the game James did not play in that day.

On January 15, 2024, information was sold that "Player 4's" injury would affect his performance against the Thunder.

Rozier and Billups Cases

Billups and Rozier's trial is Thursday in federal court. Rozier is accused of planning to leave a game early during his time with his former team, the Charlotte Hornets (March 2023), so that bookmakers could bet under the statistic. The NBA had previously failed to detect this and Rozier played 125 more games; he was placed on unpaid leave after the charges, but the players' union appealed.

Other Teams: Orlando Magic and Portland Trail Blazers

The Orlando Magic had information leaked to bookmakers that a starter would be rested for the April 2023 Cavaliers game; that player is no longer with the team. The Magic did not receive a call from the Justice Department.There are also bets against Portland; the information came from a "coach" similar to Billups, but Billups is not charged with leaking information, but with illegal poker fraud with Jones.The NBA banned Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors for life in April 2024 for betting. The league now plans to tighten its injury reporting rules; the Lakers, Magic and Blazers incidents could have been avoided with more transparent disclosures.The scandal accelerates the NBA's efforts to protect betting integrity under pressure from Congress.