Former NBA coach Damon Jones makes major legal move following FBI gambling probe

Damon Jones is no longer fighting his charges in court.

The former Cleveland Cavaliers player and coach has requested a change-of-plea hearing in the case alleging he passed inside information tied to NBA games for illegal betting purposes.

Damon Jones set to enter plea after DOJ gambling charges

According to ABC News, that hearing is scheduled for April 28. Federal prosecutors have until the end of next week to lay out the specific charges he intends to plead to. Jones is the first defendant in this case to signal a guilty plea.

Jones played 11 seasons in the NBA and later worked as an assistant coach from 2016 to 2018. 

The charges against him stem from a Department of Justice case filed last fall and are connected to two separate gambling investigations the FBI uncovered in October 2025.

Damon Jones’ situation grows more complex

Jones is also named in a second Department of Justice illegal gambling case alongside Chauncey Billups, the Hall of Famer currently away from his head coaching role with the Portland Trail Blazers.

In that case, the two are accused of helping legitimize underground poker games and allegedly drawing unsuspecting players into games tied to organized crime.

The charge Jones is expected to plead guilty to, however, comes from the smaller insider information case which includes five other defendants, one of them being former Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier.

Both Jones and Rozier initially entered not guilty pleas when the case began. Rozier has since maintained that stance, formally denying the insider information allegations.

He faces charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering and has been away from the NBA since the Heat waived him earlier this month.

With Jones now moving toward a guilty plea, this case is entering a new phase fast.