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An independent law firmed hired by the NBA has requested records from individuals and teams in relation to the ongoing probe of illegal gambling allegations that led to the arrests of Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA player and coach Damon Jones, a spokesperson for the league confirmed in a statement to ESPN.
"The NBA engaged an independent law firm to investigate the allegations in the indictment once it was made public," the spokesperson said. "As is standard in these kinds of investigations, a number of different individuals and organizations were asked to preserve documents and records. Everyone has been fully cooperative."
The Los Angeles Lakers were reportedly among the teams contacted by the investigators, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to ESPN's Shams Charania. Lakers assistant trainer Mike Mancias and executive administrator Randy Mims were reportedly among around a dozen team employees who were contacted and are cooperating with the probe.
Mancias, Mims and Jones all have relationships with Lakers forward LeBron James, however, James was not named in the indictment nor accused of any wrongdoing. Jones was described as an unofficial assistant coach for the Lakers during the 2022-23 season in the indictment and prosecutors alleged that he claimed to have learned from a team trainer that a key player for the Lakers was injured and would be limited during the team's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on January 15, 2024.
Jones, who pleaded not guilty to wire fraud and money-laundering in a Brooklyn federal court last week, allegedly relayed that information to co-defendant Eric Earnest, who then gave the details to co-defendant Marves Fairley, who is described as being a known bettor and placed $100,000 against the Lakers. The player ended up playing his normal number of minutes and the team won, with Fairley, through Earnest, asking Jones to refund the $2,500 he had paid for the injury information, the indictment claims.
Rozier, then a member of the Charlotte Hornets, is accused of giving information to Deniro Laster, a childhood friend, when he planned to leave a game against the New Orleans Pelicans in the first quarter on March 23, 2023. The guard wasn't listed on the team's injury report prior to exiting the game with what he claimed was due to a foot injury.
Prosecutors alleged that Laster sold the information to Fairley and anonymous co-conspirator for around $100,000, with bettors placing more than $263,000 on the under on Rozier's statistics and he left the game after playing just over nine minutes. Rozier is scheduled for an arraignment in Brooklyn on December 8 and an attorney representing him said his client is innocent.
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billlups was also among the 34 people arrested in relation to violations of the NBA's gambling policies on October 23, however, he was charged in an indictment centered around alleged rigged poker games, not on sports betting. An unnamed co-conspirator with a career timeline matching Billups' has, however, been accused of sharing non-public information with a better regarding the Trail Blazers' plan to not play several players during the team's game against the Chicago Bulls, ESPN reports.