NBA, Damon Jones
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His relatively unknown name has gone viral in recent days as it is linked to the two plots that have turned the NBA upside down.
Jones is a former basketball player who played 11 seasons in the NBA. The 6-4 combo guard went undrafted out of Houston in 1997 after a four-year career with the Cougars and began his playing career with the International Basketball Association's Black Hills Posse in 1997.
"He’s a really funny dude. He’s a great storyteller. But he was never a part of the staff," a team source said of Jones.
Jones, 49, played in NBA for 10 teams spanning 11 seasons from 1998-2009, spending no more than three years with any team after going undrafted out of Houston.
Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones were taken into custody Thursday in connection with alleged illegal gambling operations dating back to 2019.
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Who is Damon Jones? Explaining LeBron James' connection to ex-NBA player charged in gambling scandal
Jones joined the Cavaliers as an informal shooting assistant in 2014 before taking on an assistant role with the team's G League affiliate, the Canton Charge, in 2015-16. Lue, who replaced David Blatt as head coach of the Cavaliers in January 2016, added Jones to his NBA staff ahead of the 2016 playoffs and kept him on through 2018.
Damon Jones, who played at UH from 1994-97, was arrested on charges of providing insider information on NBA games for illegal betting.
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Who are Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones? A look at arrested NBA player and coaches
Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Damon Jones were arrested Thursday in connection with a federal investigation into illegal sports betting and rigged poker games back by Mafia.
Reports suggest that Damon Jones used his friendship with LeBron James to inform others to bet on a Lakers-Bucks game in 2023.
A finance professor from Notre Dame is questioning how former NBA players Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones ended up in custody despite successful basketball careers.