There was no immediate response to emails sent Saturday evening to the Lakers and NBA seeking comment about a published report that they are among the teams the league has asked to hand over documents and other property as part of its investigation into illegal sports gambling.
Investigators are expected to seek documents, including cellphones and phone records, from at least 10 Lakers employees, league sources who were not identified told the sports news website The Athletic.
Lakers assistant trainer Mike Mancias and executive administrator Randy Mims are among the employees who are already cooperating and voluntarily handed their cellphones over to investigators, according to The Athletic, citing league sources.
The investigation stems from federal charges filed last month against Damon Jones, a former NBA player and friend of Laker star LeBron James, who was around the team in the 2022-23 season but was not a team employee, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and four other men.
Jones has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from selling or attempting to sell non-public information about James’ availability for at least one game each in 2023 and 2024.
According to the indictment filed Oct. 16 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York, on Feb. 9, 2023 and Jan. 15, 2024, Jones provided insider information to co-conspirators about pre-release medical information concerning star players on the Lakers for the purpose of enabling the co-conspirators to place wagers based on this information.