NBA obtaining cell phones from Lakers, other teams in investigation into illegal gambling scheme: report

The NBA is reportedly seeking compartment phones and different spot from aggregate teams arsenic portion of its probe into amerciable sports gambling.

"The NBA engaged an autarkic instrumentality steadfast to analyse the allegations successful the indictment erstwhile it was made public," an NBA spokesperson told The Athletic. "As is modular successful these kinds of investigations, a fig of antithetic individuals and organizations were asked to sphere documents and records. Everyone has been afloat cooperative."

Los Angeles Lakers adjunct trainer Mike Mancias and enforcement head Randy Mims, who each person adjacent ties to superstar LeBron James, person reportedly already cooperated successful handing implicit their compartment phones to the extracurricular instrumentality steadfast Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, which has been contracted by the NBA to assistance transportation retired the investigation. 

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Los Angeles Lakers guardant LeBron James (23) shoots arsenic Minnesota Timberwolves defender Nickeil Alexander-Walker (9) defends during the archetypal fractional successful Game 5 of an NBA hoops first-round playoff bid Wednesday, April 30, 2025, successful Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

Fox News Digital has reached retired to the NBA and Lakers for comment.

The NBA is successful the midst of handling a bombshell ungraded that resulted successful the national indictment of Portland Trail Blazers manager Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat defender Terry Rozier and erstwhile NBA subordinate and manager Damon Jones for their alleged roles successful a transgression gambling scheme, past month.

Congress got progressive erstwhile the House Committee connected Commerce Friday sent a missive to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver requesting accusation and a briefing to get accusation related to the scandal. The bipartisan missive was signed by six members of Congress connected the House Committee connected Energy and Commerce.

The committee is seeking 5 cardinal points of accusation from Silver:

"1. Details astir the fraudulent, illegal, and alleged betting practices successful transportation with NBA players, coaches, and officials, including the actions of NBA players and coaches identified successful the caller indictment; arsenic good arsenic anterior instances, immoderate of which are identified above," the missive states.

"2. Actions the NBA intends to instrumentality to bounds the disclosure of nonpublic accusation for amerciable purposes. 3. Whether the NBA’s Code of Conduct for players and coaches efficaciously prohibits amerciable activity, including the disclosure of non-public accusation for the purposes of amerciable betting schemes. 4. An mentation of the gaps, if any, successful existing regulations that let amerciable betting schemes to occur. 5. Whether and however the NBA is reevaluating the presumption of its partnerships with sports betting companies." 

The missive besides references comments made by Silver during an quality Tuesday connected ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show," wherever the commissioner expressed enactment for much national sports betting regulation.

"I think, probably, determination should beryllium much regulation, frankly," Silver said. "I privation determination was national authorities alternatively than authorities by state. I deliberation you've got to show the magnitude of promotion, the magnitude of advertizing astir it."

The Department of Justice listed 7 NBA games that saw high-stakes wagers aft non-public accusation was disclosed to gamblers.

Rozier's alleged engagement came successful a crippled March 23, 2023, erstwhile helium told a puerility friend, Deniro Laster, that helium would instrumentality himself retired of a crippled early, citing an injury, truthful Laster could spot wagers based connected the information. Neither Hornets officials nor betting companies were made alert of Rozier's plan, according to the indictment, and Rozier was not listed connected the team's wounded report.

HEAT'S TERRY ROZIER ARRESTED AS PART OF FBI SPORTS BETTING PROBE

Laster past allegedly sold that accusation to different co-conspirators, and galore radical placed wagers totaling astir $200,000 connected Rozier's "under" prop bets to deed successful some parlay and consecutive wagers. After Rozier played conscionable 9 minutes and ne'er returned, the bets won. Rozier and Laster counted currency winnings astatine Rozier's location successful Charlotte astir a week later, an indictment says.

The DOJ says the subordinate was yet ruled retired with a lower-body injury. LeBron James did not play that nighttime owed to an ankle wounded that kept him retired for 2 much games. The crippled successful question was played 2 days aft James scored 38 points to go the NBA's all-time starring scorer.

Another crippled the DOJ mentioned was a Portland Trail Blazers–Chicago Bulls matchup March 24, 2023, the time aft Rozier played 9 minutes, and a co-conspirator, "an NBA manager astatine the time," allegedly told a longtime friend, who is besides a suspect successful the rigged poker scheme, that the Blazers would beryllium "tanking" that nighttime for a amended draught prime and would beryllium immoderate of the team's champion players. The resting of the players had not yet been nationalist information.

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Miami Heat defender Terry Rozier (2) looks connected during the 2nd fractional of an NBA hoops crippled against the Washington Wizards, Sunday, March 31, 2024, successful Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)

Rozier and Jones were charged with conspiracy to perpetrate ligament fraud and conspiracy to perpetrate wealth laundering. The NBA announced that Rozier and Billups were placed connected contiguous permission from their teams, "and we volition proceed to cooperate with the applicable authorities."

"The integrity of our crippled remains our apical priority," the NBA said.

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