There is further breaking news regarding the NBA’s gambling scandal, which is under investigation by the NBA and is being closely scrutinized by the United States Congress. The latest aspect of the NBA’s investigation means that at least 10 Los Angeles Lakers employees will have to turn over their phones.
This is not just limited to the Lakers; employees of multiple other NBA teams will also have to turn over their phones as the league attempts to crack down on the biggest NBA scandal in living memory.
NBA Gambling Scandal Investigation Includes Lakers Employees Turning Over Phones And Documents
Multiple teams, including the Lakers, have been asked to provide phone records to the NBA. According to The Athletic, an NBA spokesman issued a statement: “The NBA engaged an independent law firm to investigate the allegations in the indictment once it was made public.” The statement also added: “Everyone has been fully cooperative.”
Why are the Lakers’ employees particularly being asked to hand over their devices? This is because former combo guard Damon Jones, who was arrested and federally indicted, served as an unofficial assistant coach for the Lakers during the 2023-24 season, specifically as LeBron James’ shooting coach. Jones, who pleaded not guilty, is accused of disclosing non-public injury information about James for a game that season.
As a result of these charges, according to The Athletic, 10 or more Lakers employees are expected to hand over documents, including cell phones and phone records.
Two Lakers employees have reportedly already voluntarily handed these over: Assistant trainer Mike Mancias and executive administrator Randy Mims are fully cooperating with the investigation, and neither was named in any charges.
The NBA has asked the Los Angeles Lakers and multiple other teams to hand over documents and other property as part of its investigation into illegal sports gambling, @TheAthletic reported.
This is a result of the charges filed against Damon Jones, LeBron James’ former shooting… pic.twitter.com/Pqx2qiMfW8
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) November 15, 2025
The article also reports that, during a hearing last month, Congress and Senate committees asked the NBA how they were unable to find any evidence of the betting scheme before it reached the point where Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups were arrested, let alone Jones.
Let’s not forget there was an NBA investigation into Rozier at the time of the betting activities, which resulted in no action and allowed him to play a further 125 games before his eventual arrest.
Despite the optics of having cleared Rozier at the time, the NBA has reassured Congress that it is taking this seriously, which is why it has taken this latest measure regarding cell phone records to aid the investigation. Also, expect stricter measures regarding the release of non-public injury information to be introduced in the near future.
