LA Lakers dragged into NBA illegal gambling investigation as league asks multiple teams to hand over cell phones

The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly been contacted by investigators regarding the illegal gambling allegations that have rocked the NBA. 

The league was plunged into chaos last month after the Feds launched a series of overnight arrests that saw a mix of current stars, former stars and coaches detained.

As the saga rumbles on, the NBA has hired an independent law firm to deal with the matter and, as a result, a number of teams in the league have been contacted.

According to ESPN, the law firm has requested records from individuals and teams from across the league, with the Lakers being one of them.

A statement from an NBA spokesperson read: 'The NBA engaged an independent law firm to investigate the allegations in the indictment once it was made public.

'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.' 

ESPN claim that Lakers assistant Mike Mancias and executive administrator Randy Mims are among a dozen staff members who have been contacted.

In a recent twist to the investigation, former player and coach Damon Jones was accused by federal prosecutors of selling non-public injury information about Lakers players to gamblers during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. 

The following season, according to the indictment, prosecutors allege that Jones discovered that a key Lakers player would be injured for their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on January 15th, 2024. 

The indictment alleges that Jones then relayed the information to co-defendant Eric Earnest, who then provided the information to known bettor, Marves Fairley. 

A representative for Earnest told the Daily Mail that he is being transported by US Marshals from Missouri to New York for his first court appearance. The judge he was brought before in Missouri did not set bail.

Further allegations claim that Fairley then placed a bet in the region of $100,000 against the Lakers - however it backfired as the unnamed player ended up playing his normal minutes and Los Angeles cruised to victory. 

According to the indictment, Fairley - who plead not guilty to the charges last Thursday - asked Jones to refund the $2,500 that was paid to allegedly obtain the injury information. 

As per the indictment, Jones is also accused of leaking injury information about his friend and former teammate LeBron James to gamblers in 2023. 

James is not named in the indictment and is instead referred to as 'Player 3.' He has not been charged or accused of any wrongdoing in the FBI probe. Daily Mail has reached out to his agency, Klutch Sports, to offer the chance at commenting.

Last week, Jones pleaded not guilty to wire fraud and money-laundering charges while at a federal court in Brooklyn, New York. 

Jones was arrested over the allegations as part of the FBI investigation into the alleged sports betting conspiracy, which also saw Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier arrested on similar accusations in the case. Jones remains free on $200,000 bond.  

In the second separate but related indictment, Jones was named alongside Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups with the pair accused of being involved in the Mafia-led rigged poker ring, which saw victims allegedly frauded out of $7million. 

They face charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. Rozier and Billups have both issued denials through their respective attorneys. 

Jones, meanwhile, has battled financial issues dating back to 2013, when he first filed for bankruptcy. That case was dismissed, but he was back again two years later, according to court records reviewed by Daily Mail.

The Texas native claimed to have up to $1 million in liabilities at the time with assets somewhere between $100,001 and $500,000.