The scope of the NBA’s gambling scandal is widening — and now the league is preparing major changes to its injury-reporting rules.
Following federal indictments tied to illegal betting schemes involving inside injury information, the NBA’s independent investigation is expanding across multiple teams. Hall of Famer and Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, ex-NBA player Damon Jones, and guard Terry Rozier have all already been charged by federal prosecutors. Now the league’s hired law firm, Wachtell Lipton, is collecting phones and records from several organizations.
The Lakers are one focal point, given Jones’ longtime access to LeBron James. According to The Athletic, Wachtell investigators have already requested phones and documents from at least 10 Lakers employees, including assistant trainer Mike Mancias and executive administrator Randy Mims — two of LeBron’s closest longtime staffers, both of whom are cooperating voluntarily. Neither LeBron nor his inner circle has been accused of wrongdoing, but investigators are trying to reconstruct what Jones knew, and how he used it to sell injury intel.
Rule changes could hit next: the NBA is reportedly preparing to overhaul its injury-reporting guidelines, a shift that’s likely to arrive sooner than later. Currently, teams often leave players listed as “day-to-day” for weeks and wait until the last minute to declare statuses — a habit driven by competitive secrecy but one that creates opportunities for leaks. The league now believes tighter, more standardized reporting windows might have prevented the misuse of internal information at the center of the federal cases.
