Cheating poker and basketball scandals rock NBA
More than 30 people have been charged in two federal cases known as “Operation Royal Flush” and “Operation Nothing But Net,” prosecutors said.
The NBA has contacted multiple teams seeking access to records and cell phones as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged gambling dens.
According to multiple media reports, the Los Angeles Lakers are among the teams the league has contacted.
“After the allegations in the indictment were made public, the NBA engaged an independent law firm to conduct an investigation,” a league spokesperson said in a statement. “As is often the case with investigations of this nature, various individuals and organizations were asked to preserve documents and records. All have cooperated fully.”
A federal indictment last month arrested Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA player Damon Jones for allegedly participating in a scheme to use personal information to help bettors win winnings.
The league has been under surveillance on Capitol Hill after a previous NBA investigation revealed Rozier’s gambling violations. In response, the NBA informed both House and Senate committees that the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz has begun contacting each team seeking access to their cellphones and other equipment.
According to The Athletic, Lakers assistant trainer Mike Mancias and front office executive Randy Mims are also cooperating with the investigation and are among the team officials who have already handed over the phones.
Jones, a close friend of LeBron James, was the Lakers’ former shooting coach. He is accused of selling private injury information about two Lakers players, believed to be James and Anthony Davis, that he received from one of the team’s athletic trainers.
James is not named in the indictment and is not accused of any wrongdoing.
