NBA Gambling Investigation: LeBron James' Associates and 10 Lakers Employees Phones Requested by Adam Silver's Office

The NBA’s gambling probe continues to widen, and it has now pulled LeBron James’ inner circle and the LA Lakers into the spotlight. According to reports, Adam Silver's office has asked for the phones of 10 Lakers employees as part of the ongoing investigation.

This comes after LeBron James' former shooting coach, Damon Jones, was indicted over his alleged involvement in an illegal betting scheme last month.

Jones reportedly had unusual access to the Lakers, prompting investigators to request documents, including phones and phone records, from at least 10 team employees.

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This group includes Lakers trainer Mike Mancias and executive administrator Randy Mims, both of whom reportedly turned over their phones to investigators willingly. An NBA spokesperson confirmed their cooperation in a statement.

"The NBA engaged an independent law firm to investigate the allegations in the indictment once it was made public,” the NBA spokesman said via The Athletic. “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.

Mancias and Mims both have long-standing ties to LeBron James, with Mancias serving as his trainer for nearly 20 years and Mims knowing him since high school.

Their names surfaced in the probe after Damon Jones was accused of selling injury information on two Lakers players during his stint as an unofficial coach with the Lakers.

However, neither Mancias nor Mims has been charged with any crime or named in any federal filing at the time of writing.

LeBron James’ former teammate pleads not guilty as betting probe draws in Lakers star

The NBA betting scandal has been grabbing headlines with new details continuing to emerge amid the ongoing probe. One of the names associated with the scandal is Damon Jones, who reportedly sold injury information to bettors on several occasions.

According to reports, one of the leaked details involved LeBron James. On Feb. 9, 2023, Jones allegedly told a co-conspirator to place a “big bet” on the Bucks because “Player 3” would be out, the player who ultimately sat that game was LeBron James.

Jones, who played alongside LeBron in Cleveland, has been accused of using his close relationship with the Lakers star to sell information to bettors. Despite being indicted, Jones pleaded not guilty on Thursday during an appearance in a Brooklyn Court.

Edited by Arian Kashyap