Scandal intensifies as NBA seizes club staff phones over illegal betting suspicions
Jan Novak
Dailysports's expert
The NBA is gripped by a fresh wave of controversy as the league ramps up its internal investigation into the possible involvement of coaches and staff in illegal sports betting.
According to The Athletic, several teams, including the Lakers, have received requests to hand over documents and mobile phones after the US Department of Justice filed a series of federal gambling charges.
Investigators intend to scrutinize phones, call logs, and internal records of at least ten Lakers employees. Among them are assistant coach Mike Mancias and administrative manager Randy Mims. Both have stated they are willing to cooperate voluntarily. The league emphasizes that this is solely a fact-finding review and not an accusation of proven wrongdoing.
Also mentioned in the case materials are former NBA players Chauncey Billups, Damon Jones, and Terry Rozier. According to the documents, Jones allegedly provided confidential information about players’ conditions—including data on LeBron James—to individuals linked to betting operations.
