According to a recent Brooklyn court filing, former Cleveland Cavaliers guard and assistant coach Damon Jones is getting ready to enter a guilty plea in the federal sports betting case that accuses him of giving gamblers access to private NBA injury information.

The April 16 docket update is the first significant change in Jones's legal position since he entered a not guilty plea during his arraignment in November 2025.

In October 2025, two broad indictments were revealed in Brooklyn Federal Court, charging over thirty defendants, including Jones and Miami Heat star Terry Rozier.

Allegations that Jones acted as a conduit for insider information regarding player availability prior to at least seven NBA games in 2023 and 2024 are at the heart of the sports betting case.

Prosecutors claim that before injury news was made public, the knowledge was given to bettors, giving them an unfair advantage when placing bets.

The indictment claims that during the 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 seasons, Jones served as the L.A. Lakers' unofficial assistant coach and shooting coach, giving him access to confidential player information.

Prosecutors claim that Jones texted a co-conspirator prior to a game against the Milwaukee Bucks on February 9, 2023, encouraging him to put a big wager since a crucial player had been covertly ruled out.

According to court documents, Jones pressured the bettor to "get a big bet" down before the information was made public.

According to the updated docket record, Jones's "change of plea" has been referred to a magistrate judge, which is the typical procedure when a defendant is getting ready to confess.

Rozier, who entered a not guilty plea in December 2025, has moved to have the accusations against him dropped. Despite being on league leave, he is still playing for the Miami Heat.

Poker Case with a Tilt

Jones is accused of assisting affluent gamblers in luring them into high-stakes poker games in Las Vegas, New York, and Miami in a parallel poker-conspiracy probe that also involves Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups.

According to the prosecution, such games were anything but friendly because the organizers allegedly used a modified automatic shuffler, a card-reading table, and a chip tray with covert cameras to make sure the house always won.

According to text messages cited in the indictment, Jones boasts about his involvement in the operation and requests financial transfers from associates before to games.

In that case, Jones similarly entered a not guilty plea at first, and he hasn't expressed any desire to modify that plea.

The case is still pending.