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The NBA is reportedly looking for cellphones and other property belonging to several teams as part of its investigation into illegal sports gambling.
“The NBA retained an independent law firm to investigate the allegations contained in the indictment once it was made public,” an NBA spokesperson told The Athletic. “As is usual in these kinds of investigations, a number of different people and organizations have been asked to preserve documents and records. Everyone has been fully cooperative.”
Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Mike Mancias and executive director Randy Mims, who each have close ties to superstar LeBron James, have reportedly already cooperated by handing over their cellphones to outside law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, which was hired by the NBA to help with the investigation.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shoots while Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (9) defends during the first half in Game 5 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, file)
PK Press Club Digital has reached out to the NBA and Lakers for comment.
The NBA is dealing with an explosive scandal that culminated in the federal indictments of Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA player and coach Damon Jones for their alleged roles in a criminal gambling scheme last month.
Congress got involved when the House Commerce Committee sent a letter to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Friday requesting briefings and a briefing for information related to the scandal. The bipartisan letter was signed by six members of Congress on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The committee is seeking five key points of information from Silver:
“1. Details of fraudulent, illegal, and alleged betting practices related to NBA players, coaches, and officials, including the actions of NBA players and coaches identified in the recent indictment; as well as prior cases, some of which are identified above,” the letter states.
“2. Actions that the NBA intends to take to limit the disclosure of non-public information for illegal purposes. 3. Whether the NBA’s code of conduct for players and coaches effectively prohibits illegal activities, including the disclosure of non-public information for the purposes of illegal betting schemes. 4. An explanation of the gaps, if any, in existing regulations that allow illegal betting schemes to occur. sports betting companies.
The letter also references comments Silver made during a Tuesday appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show,” where the commissioner expressed support for increased federal regulation of sports betting.
“Frankly, I think there should probably be more regulation,” Silver said. “I wish there was federal legislation rather than state by state. I think you have to watch the amount of promotion, the amount of publicity around it.”
The Justice Department has listed seven NBA games that resulted in high-stakes betting after non-public information was leaked to players.
Rozier’s alleged involvement came during a match on March 23, 2023, when he told a childhood friend, Deniro Laster, that he would withdraw from a match early, citing injury, so that Laster could place bets based on the information. Neither Hornets officials nor the betting companies were informed of Rozier’s plan, according to the indictment, and Rozier was not listed on the team’s injury report.
HEAT’S TERRY ROZIER ARRESTED IN FBI SPORTS BETTING INVESTIGATION
Laster then allegedly sold this information to other co-conspirators, and numerous people placed bets totaling approximately $200,000 on Rozier’s “slot” bets to hit both parlay and straight bets. After Rozier played only nine minutes and never returned, the bets were won. Rozier and Laster counted the cash winnings at Rozier’s Charlotte home about a week later, according to an indictment.
The DOJ says the player was ultimately ruled out due to a lower body injury. LeBron James did not play that night due to an ankle injury that kept him out two more games. The game in question was played two days after James scored 38 points to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
Another game mentioned by the DOJ was a Portland Trail Blazers-Chicago Bulls game on March 24, 2023, the day after Rozier played nine minutes, and a co-conspirator, “an NBA coach at the time,” allegedly told a longtime friend, who is also a defendant in the rigged poker scheme, that the Blazers would “pitch” that night for a top draft pick and sit some of the top players of the team. The rest of the players were not yet made public.
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Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier (2) watches the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Sunday, March 31, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, file)
Rozier and Jones were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The NBA announced that Rozier and Billups had been placed on immediate leave from their teams, “and we will continue to cooperate with the appropriate authorities.”
“The integrity of our game remains our top priority,” the NBA said.
