LeBron James is not charged with anything, but his name just got pulled into a messy NBA gambling probe that has already produced arrests. Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups were arrested in the investigation, and prosecutors have also charged former NBA guard Damon Jones — a longtime LeBron friend and occasional workout partner — with sharing inside info about games. That is where LeBron enters the chat.
What prosecutors say happened
Per CNN’s rundown of the Department of Justice filing, Jones is accused of selling non-public details about NBA games — things like who is actually going to play and medical updates that had not been announced yet.
One alleged example centers on a Lakers-Bucks game on February 9, 2023. The indictment says Jones texted a co-conspirator before the news was out that a star would sit. In the documents, that player is labeled as Player 3. We can do the math: LeBron did not play that night because of an injury, and that absence was not public yet.
"Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out! [Player 3] is out tonight. Bet enough so Djones can eat to now!!!"
Prosecutors also point to another Lakers game on January 15, 2024. According to the filing, Jones heard from a trainer that another top Lakers player was hurt and passed that along. It did not pay off — the player performed as usual, the Lakers won, and Jones allegedly had to return the $2,500 he took for the tip.
Where LeBron fits in (and where he does not)
The indictment only refers to LeBron as Player 3, but again, he was the one who sat out the Bucks game on February 9, 2023. That game came just two days after he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, which is quite the timeline wrinkle.
As for Jones, he was around the Lakers then in an unofficial capacity, working with LeBron during pregame routines but not listed as an official staffer. Their relationship goes way back: Jones was LeBron’s teammate in Cleveland from 2005 to 2008, then later served as a Cavs assistant when LeBron returned in 2014.
Despite that history, a source told The Athletic (owned by The New York Times) that LeBron did not know Jones was selling information about his injury status. The Lakers declined to comment to the outlet.
The key dates, at a glance
- Feb 7, 2023: LeBron breaks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record.
- Feb 9, 2023: Lakers vs. Bucks — LeBron sits with an injury that was not public yet; prosecutors say Jones texted about it ahead of time.
- Jan 15, 2024: Another Lakers game — Jones allegedly passes along a tip about a different star being hurt; it fizzles, and he returns $2,500.
- Now: FBI investigation into NBA gambling/rigging leads to arrests of Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups; Jones is charged; LeBron is not charged.
The random Diddy tangent
While we are here, LeBron’s name also got dragged into the recent wave of headlines around Sean 'Diddy' Combs. A years-old Instagram Live clip resurfaced during Diddy’s indictment and arrest where LeBron is joking around and says, 'Ain’t no party like a Diddy party.' There is zero evidence tying LeBron to any of Diddy’s alleged crimes. The Sun reported that LeBron quietly distanced himself last year when the rumors started flying, including unfollowing Diddy. The internet never forgets, but that is the extent of it.
Money talk: billionaire or not?
LeBron also pushed back on those 'NBA billionaire' headlines, telling Complex’s '360 With Speedy' that the Google number for his net worth is wrong. For what it is worth, Forbes currently estimates his net worth at $1.3 billion. So either the search result is off, or the semantics are.
Bottom line: the legal trouble is pointed at Damon Jones (and separately at Rozier and Billups). LeBron’s name surfaces because Jones allegedly traded on info about his availability. As of now, LeBron is not accused of anything — but given the cast of characters and the timeline, expect his name to keep popping up as this case moves forward.