On Thursday, October 23, 2025, former Cleveland Cavaliers Assistant Coach Damon Jones was arrested alongside five others, including Terry Rozier. According to an immediate release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of New York, Jones, Rozier, and four others allegedly used “inside information from National Basketball Association (NBA) players and coaches to profit from illegal betting activity.” More specifically, Jones is accused of disclosing “pre-release medical information concerning star players on the Los Angeles Lakers” to co-conspirators on two separate occasions. Further reporting from ESPN’s Dave McMenamin has identified LeBron James as one of the “star players” in question.
Jones and James have had a relationship dating back more than 20 years. The two played together from 2005 to 2008 as members of the Cleveland Cavaliers. More than a decade later, Jones returned as a member of Cleveland’s coaching staff from 2016 to 2018 while James was a player. More recently, Jones was an “unofficial, unpaid” member of former Los Angeles Lakers’ Head Coach Darvin Ham’s staff while James was also a player.
James has not issued a statement regarding Jones’ indictment. However, the NBA star will return to the court on Friday, October 24, when the Lakers play the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena on Prime Video.
