Damon Jones, a former NBA player and assistant coach, became the first defendant to plead guilty after an FBI gambling probe that led to more than 30 arrests last fall and two separate cases rocked the basketball world.
During back-to-back hearings in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday, Jones admitted to selling insider information to sports bettors and participating in a poker scheme backed by the Mafia, entering guilty pleas to two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his roles in the illegal gambling cases, according tomultiplereports.
Jones, 49, was one of three people charged in both the sports betting case and the rigged poker ring case, per The Associated Press. He initially pleaded not guilty in each of those cases.
A 3-point specialist who played 11 seasons in the NBA from 1999-2009, including three seasons with Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005-08, Jones additionally coached as an assistant for the Cavs from 2016-18 and as unofficial assistant for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022-23 campaign.
“I’d like to sincerely apologize to the court, my family, my peers and also the National Basketball Association,” Jones said Tuesday, according to The New York Times.
Jones is still free on bail and won’t be sentenced until Jan. 6, 2027, per the AP, which also reported Tuesday that he’s facing a longer prison sentence in the rigged poker ring case than he is in the sports betting case.
Sentencing guidelines in the rigged poker ring case, which reportedly involved more than 10 victims and losses of more than $9.5 million, recommend a punishment of 63 to 78 months in prison. But, according to the AP, since prosecutors agreed to knock 15 months off in exchange for Jones pleading guilty before April 30, that sentencing range will shrink to 48 to 63 months if the judge follows the guidelines.
Meanwhile, Jones is reportedly expected to face a 21- to 27-month sentence in the sports betting case.
Jones already committed to conceding $73,000 as part of his plea agreements, per the AP, but another restitution payment reportedly could be ordered when he’s sentenced.
The sports betting case is the much smaller of the two illegal gambling cases uncovered by the FBI. It features only six defendants, including Jones as well as now-former Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier.
Prosecutors said that Jones used an ad-hoc affiliation with the Lakers to compile non-public information about player statuses he could sell to bettors, who are co-defendants in the case.
Jones was LeBron James’ personal shooting coach at the time, according to The Athletic, and the two previously overlapped in Cleveland, both when Jones was a Cavaliers player and assistant coach. Jones admitted, according to ABC News, that, on Feb. 9, 2023 — the day of a game between the Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks — he texted an unnamed co-conspirator, saying, “Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out! [Player 3] is out tonight. Bet enough so Djones can eat.”
Although that player’s identity hasn’t been disclosed publicly, it is believed to be James, who didn’t play that night. The Lakers lost, 115-106.
James, notably, is not named in the indictment or accused of any wrongdoing, per the Times.
The Miami Heat waived Terry Rozier on April 10. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Prior to a March 2023 game, in which he played nine minutes and change for the Charlotte Hornets due to a foot injury, Rozier is alleged to have shared inside information about his early exit, allegedly leading to his co-conspirator bettors wagering more than $200,000 on his under prop bets.
Although Rozier has asked for the charges to be dismissed, prosecutors reportedly said Monday they intend to soon bring new charges against the 32-year-old. They’re accusing him taking a bribe and of depriving the Hornets of his honest services, as reported by the Times on Tuesday.
As for Jones, he admitted Tuesday that he was paid as a “face card” in that scheme, using his celebrity to bait high rollers into joining three rigged games from 2020-23, according to the Times, which noted that two of those games took place in Miami, whereas the other was in East Hampton. The games were reportedly organized by the Bonanno, Gambino and Genovese crime families and used disguised technology to manipulate play.
“I knew these games were rigged and that players were being cheated,” Jones said, per the AP. “I’m really sorry to everyone involved for my actions.”
The New York Yankees (19-10) face the Texas Rangers(14-15) in the second game of their series. The Yankees won Monday’s opener 4-2. The scheduled starting pitchers are Cam Schlittler for the New York Yankees, with a 1.77 ERA, and Jacob deGrom for the Texas Rangers, with a 2.13 ERA.
How to watch New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers
Date: Tuesday, April 28
Time: 8:05 p.m. ET / 5:05 p.m. PT
Where: Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX
TV Channels: Rangers Sports Network, Amazon Prime Video
The Atlanta Hawks take on the New York Knicks with their first-round playoff series tied 2-2 heading into Game 5. The Knicks evened the series with a 114-98 victory on Saturday. New York is back at home and favored by 6.5 points in Game 5.
The Boston Celtics will try to close out their first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5. Boston won the past two games to take a 3-1 series lead. With one more win, the Celtics will advance to play the winner of the Atlanta Hawks-New York Knicks series. Boston is favored by 11.5 points in Game 5.
How to watch Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics
With May just around the corner, teams are beginning to separate themselves within the larger major-league landscape. At the very least, a select group of clubs have begun to distinguish themselves as clear contenders, while others have plummeted into shocking pits of struggle. That includes two teams — the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies — that have already fired their managers amid miserable starts and another pair — the New York Mets and Houston Astros — with skippers under scrutiny. At this early junction of the season, there’s also a whole mess of teams in the middle trying to sort out how they stack up against one another.
But this week’s power rankings stay focused on the positives, identifying the clearest strength thus far for all 30 big-league ballclubs, from those off to rip-roaring starts to those that have already sunk to a precarious position in the standings.
Starting pitching. The Dodgers rank first in wRC+, but it seems like we haven’t yet seen the best of what their lineup has to offer, considering Mookie Betts’ absence and Kyle Tucker’s slow start. With that in mind, I’m more inclined to highlight the rotation, which ranks as one of the best in MLB despite the roller coaster Roki Sasaki experience and Blake Snell having yet to throw a pitch in 2026. That’s a credit not only to the obvious superstars such as Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow but also to the terrific showings from homegrown hurlers such as Justin Wrobleski and Emmet Sheehan. The bullpen remains a big question with Edwin Díaz out, but L.A.’s rotation and lineup are going to fuel a whole bunch of wins regardless.
2. Atlanta Braves (20-9)
The lineup. What the Braves have been able to do on the mound despite the rash of injuries suffered in spring training has been remarkable, but it’s the lineup’s collective resurgence that has powered Atlanta to a large early lead atop the NL East. Drake Baldwin is one of the best catchers in baseball, Ozzie Albies is enjoying a much-needed bounce-back, Michael Harris II is on fire, and Matt Olson is looking more like the elite 2023 version of himself than the merely very good Olson we’ve watched the past two seasons. Once Ronald Acuña Jr. heats up, watch out.
3. New York Yankees (19-10)
Starting pitching. It’d be easy to point to the Yankees’ sterling ranks in several slugging categories and label that as their strength, but, as with the Dodgers, it’s the rotation that stands out even more — and that’s even before Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón have made their returns, with both veterans expected back in the coming weeks. Those two will soon help replace the one weak link, Luis Gil, but otherwise, this rotation has been dynamite. Max Fried has been exactly what the Yankees paid for, Cam Schlittler is a budding ace, Ryan Weathers has been a solid addition as the rare new face on this largely familiar roster, and Will Warren looks to have upgraded as a sophomore.
4. San Diego Padres (19-9)
Pitching. Since shutting out the Rockies in a rare 1-0 victory at Coors Field on April 21, the Padres have seen their team ERA balloon from 3.22 to 4.07 over the past five games. But in general, the pitching has driven San Diego’s strong first month. Although their ERA now ranks 14th, their 3.56 team FIP is tied with Pittsburgh for second-best in baseball behind only the Yankees, and the Padres have thrived in several other underlying metrics as well: second-highest whiff rate, fourth-highest chase rate, third-highest ground ball rate and the lowest hard-hit rate allowed in MLB.
5. Chicago Cubs (17-12)
Defense. We know the Cubs rake, but their spectacular glovework sets them apart from some of the other top-tier position-player groups in baseball. Even in a small sample, Chicago has established a sturdy lead in most major defensive metrics, and the team’s best defenders routinely pass the eye test as well. Pete Crow-Armstrong is dazzling in center field, Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson are putting on a show up the middle, Alex Bregman is locking down the hot corner, and Ian Happ is pushing for his fifth consecutive Gold Glove in left field. It’s an outstanding group — and crucial to Chicago’s run-prevention efforts amid a wave of injuries on the mound.
6. Cincinnati Reds (18-10)
Heart of the order. Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart have started all 28 games for Cincinnati, batting third and fourth respectively, and both have been tremendous. As for the rest of the lineup? Here’s Cincinnati’s wRC+ by spot in the batting order this season (with MLB rank):
Pitching. Even with a new-look lineup, we knew the Pirates’ best chance to return to October was rooted in their standout pitching staff, and it has lived up to the hype so far. Remove the disaster behind Paul Skenes on Opening Day (11 earned runs allowed against the Mets), and Pittsburgh would rank No. 1 in team ERA. Instead, the Pirates settle for fourth while ranking fourth in WHIP, fifth in strikeout rate and third in fWAR as a staff. By the way, since that unfortunate mess in the opener in which he recorded two outs while surrendering five runs, Skenes has allowed just three runs (0.95 ERA) and 10 hits across 28 ⅓ innings. Nothing to worry about there.
8. Tampa Bay Rays (17-11)
Putting the ball in play. The Rays aren’t slugging much — they’re tied for 20th in home runs with 27 in 28 games and have the lowest hard-hit rate in MLB — but they’re making a boatload of contact, enabling an above-average offense nevertheless. Tampa Bay’s 18.6% strikeout rate and 19.3% whiff rate on all swings are both the lowest marks in MLB by a healthy margin, and super speedsters such as Chandler Simpson are constantly putting pressure on opposing defenses in chaotic and entertaining ways.
Kevin McGonigle has already made a huge impact for a Tigers team that has been dominant at home.
Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports
9. Detroit Tigers (15-14)
Home-field advantage. No team in baseball has exhibited a starker contrast between home and road performance than Detroit. At Comerica Park, the Tigers are 10-2, with a team ERA of 3.27 and a team OPS of .829. As the away squad, Detroit is 5-12 with an ERA of 4.47 and an OPS of .698. Let’s see if this trend continues; Detroit’s next three road series are an interesting mix of opponents, starting with red-hot Atlanta before a trip next month to the less-daunting Royals and Mets.
10. Arizona Diamondbacks (15-12)
Switch-hitting. No team in baseball has deployed switch-hitters more frequently, with the Snakes the only team with four switch-hitters who have logged at least 60 plate appearances — and that doesn’t include veteran free-agent addition Carlos Santana, who came to the plate only 26 times before landing on the injured list. Joining the familiar duo of Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo are speedy defensive specialist Jorge Barrosa and veteran Ildemaro Vargas, who has delivered perhaps the most inexplicable offensive explosion (1.104 OPS in 82 plate appearances!) in MLB through the first month.
11. Milwaukee Brewers (14-13)
Starting pitching. Freddy Peralta isn’t around anymore, but this Brewers rotation is still tallying strikeouts as well as any. Jacob Misiorowski’s hellacious arsenal has done the heavy lifting, with a league-leading 51 strikeouts and 37.2% strikeout rate, but climbing quickly behind him is offseason addition Kyle Harrison, a 24-year-old left-hander whose 31.3% strikeout rate ranks seventh in MLB (min. 20 innings pitched). As a collective, Milwaukee starters’ 26.3% strikeout rate ranks first in MLB.
12. Seattle Mariners (14-16)
Throwing strikes. “Dominate the Zone” has been an organizational mantra in Seattle for a while now, and the Mariners are living up to their slogan once again in 2026. Even after a messy showing (seven walks) on Monday in Minnesota — just the second time this season that the Mariners have walked more than four batters in a game, the fewest of any team in MLB — Seattle boasts the lowest team walk rate in baseball at 6.8% and the highest first-pitch strike rate at 67.3%.
13. Cleveland Guardians (15-15)
The rookie class. First it was outfielder Chase DeLauter, announcing his AL Rookie of the Year candidacy with four homers across his first three career games and then continuing to string together quality at-bats even as the homer output slowed. Then left-hander Parker Messick began to build his case, with an outstanding first six starts placing him near the top of the fWAR leaderboard for all starting pitchers — not just rookies. And now here comes Travis Bazzana, the 2024 No. 1 pick set to make his MLB debut Tuesday after raking in Triple-A for a month. The youth movement is on in Cleveland, and the future is bright.
14. Athletics (15-13)
Hitting the ball hard. The Athletics rank first in MLB in hard-hit rate and third in average exit velocity behind the Yankees and Dodgers, all the more impressive considering they’ve gotten next to nothing from two-time All-Star Brent Rooker, who was slumping badly before landing on the IL due to an oblique strain (he was activated Monday and is expected back in the lineup Tuesday against Kansas City). Instead, Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers have been leading the way, with sudden breakout Carlos Cortes making a huge impact as well.
15. Texas Rangers (14-15)
Bullpen. The Rangers are benefitting from what has become an extreme pitcher-friendly home venue at Globe Life Field, but they still deserve immense credit for reconstructing their entire relief corps (again) and ending up with top-notch results. Despite having the seventh-lowest strikeout rate, Rangers relievers have combined to post the lowest bullpen ERA in MLB at 2.78 and the second-lowest WHIP at 1.18. Jacob Latz, Tyler Alexander, Jakob Junis, Jalen Beeks, Cole Winn — hats off to you.
16. Baltimore Orioles (13-15)
Catching. With Adley Rutschman trending in the wrong direction lately and Samuel Basallo a 21-year-old rookie, it was tough to know what to expect from Baltimore’s backstop tandem entering the season. But the talent in both has never been in question, and the production has been encouraging so far: Orioles catchers rank first in fWAR and third in wRC+, with Rutschman (181 wRC+) and Basallo (114 wRC+) serving as two of Baltimore’s most productive bats.
17. St. Louis Cardinals (15-13)
Youth. Bench infielder Ramon Urias, 31, is the only player over the age of 28 who has taken a plate appearance for St. Louis this season, with the weighted-average age of the Cardinals’ position player group — 25.7 — the second-lowest in MLB, older than only the Nationals. And these kids are playing pretty well. St. Louis is tied with Washington for first in MLB in fWAR accrued by hitters in their age-25 seasons or younger, with 23-year-old star rookie JJ Wetherholt and 24-year-old breakout slugger Jordan Walker leading the charge.
18. Boston Red Sox (12-17)
Defense. It’s no secret that there’s a whole lot going wrong in Boston right now, but the Red Sox do look markedly improved on defense compared to last season. They rank second in MLB to only the Cubs in FanGraphs’ Defensive Runs Above Average. Newcomers Caleb Durbin and William Contreras are excelling at their respective corner infield positions, Gold Glover Ceddane Rafaela is entrenched where he should be in center field (rather than dabbling at second base), and Carlos Narvaez has rated as the best defensive catcher in baseball by Fielding Run Value.
19. Toronto Blue Jays (12-16)
Whiffs (the good kind). Befitting their prized offseason addition, Dylan Cease, the Blue Jays are racking up a ton of strikeouts, but the run prevention has been inconsistent. Toronto’s 25.5% team strikeout rate is tops in MLB, a product of Cease’s AL-leading 49 punchouts and a bullpen that has been piling up swing-and-misses, led by Louie Varland (23 strikeouts in 15 innings pitched) and the struggling Jeff Hoffman, who has struck out a whopping 25 batters across 11 ⅔ innings despite the 6.94 ERA. The pending return of Trey Yesavage should help keep Toronto near the top of the K-rate leaderboard.
20. San Francisco Giants (13-15)
The … bullpen?! A strange offseason for San Francisco featured hardly any upgrades for a bullpen that seemed to need some, yet that has been one of the biggest strengths for the Giants in the early going. A workhorse rotation has made sure the team’s relievers have had to cover only 92 innings (third-fewest in MLB), and they’ve delivered when called upon, posting a 2.93 ERA across those frames, the third-lowest mark in MLB. Ryan Walker has been a staple of this unit for a few years, and now it’s time to familiarize yourself with the stylings of Caleb Kilian, Matt Gage and Erik Miller.
21. Miami Marlins (13-16)
Double-play combo. To be fair, the Marlins have turned the second-fewest double plays in MLB. But the two players who carry the label for the team — second baseman Xavier Edwards and shortstop Otto Lopez, who have started 26 of 29 games up the middle for the Fish — have been fantastic on both sides of the ball, with Lopez ranking ninth and Edwards 14th in MLB in fWAR. No matter how many double plays they turn, that’s a duo a ton of teams would happily take.
22. Washington Nationals (13-16)
Offense. Only the Braves and Dodgers are scoring more runs per game than the Nats, who have become one of baseball’s most exciting lineups while also having the youngest position-player group in the league. James Wood, 23, leads the National League in homers, walks and strikeouts, a three-true-outcomes king setting the tone atop the lineup. Beyond fellow star CJ Abrams, the other batting lines aren’t the prettiest, but Washington is finding ways to score; ranking second in stolen bases has helped.
23. Kansas City Royals (11-17)
Starting pitching and ABS challenges. The Royals are tied with the Mariners and Braves and behind only the Dodgers for the second-most quality starts in baseball, with 15, having gotten solid outings in more than half of their 26 games thus far. Unfortunately, a weak offense and flimsy bullpen have left many of those efforts unrewarded. But if there’s one part of Kansas City’s game in which the whole team is in sync, it’s ABS challenges: No squad in MLB has been more effective at overturning ball and strike calls than the Royals, with Salvador Perez’s whopping 79% overturn rate on 24 challenges while behind the dish leading the way.
24. Minnesota Twins (13-16)
Elevating the baseball. The Twins’ offense has been roughly league-average overall, but the Minnesota bats excel in two areas: drawing free passes (11.3% walk rate is tied for third in MLB) and lifting the ball. Twins hitters have combined for an MLB-low 37.8% ground ball rate and an MLB-high 22.5% pull-air percentage, which tends to be a good recipe for slugging.
Regression is coming … probably. No pitching staff in baseball has been more unlucky than Philadelphia’s. The Phillies have by far the largest negative gap between their ERA (5.30) and FIP (3.90) in MLB, and their .353 BABIP allowed is tops in the league by a comfortable margin. There have been some ugly performances mixed in, but in general, the pitchers’ process has been good, even if the results haven’t been. With Zack Wheeler back in the fold, look for this unit to reassert itself as a strength. Whether that happens — and whether the offense awakes — in time for the Phillies to climb out of the hole they’ve dug? That’s another question.
27. Colorado Rockies (13-16)
Velocity. Last season’s catastrophically awful pitching staff was one of the primary culprits of Colorado’s 119-loss season, but lurking on the roster all along was some serious velocity, and the Rockies’ new coaching infrastructure has helped leverage that ability into reliable run prevention in 2026. It has also helped to have some competent veterans (who don’t throw nearly as hard) getting outs, such as Jose Quintana, Tomoyuki Sugano and Michael Lorenzen. But the flamethrowers are the ones who deserve your attention: Six Rockies pitchers have combined to throw 473 pitches 98-plus mph, far and away the most of any team in MLB. Only three other teams — Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati — have thrown 300-plus such pitches.
28. New York Mets (9-19)
Juan Soto is back. When things are going this badly, scrounging for team-wide successes is a tough task. But amid what has been a stunningly awful stretch of offense for the Mets, the importance of Soto’s recent return to the top of the lineup cannot be overstated. He can single-handedly raise the floor of this unit in a way few other hitters in the league could, and getting him back in a groove is the first step toward restoring this offense to something resembling respectable.
29. Los Angeles Angels (12-18)
Dingers. Led by a rejuvenated Mike Trout and a few other surprise sluggers, the Halos are near the top of the home run leaderboard, currently ranking fourth in MLB, just as they did last season. The Angels are one of four teams, along with the Braves, Dodgers and Cubs, that already have five players with four home runs: Trout (9), Jorge Soler (6), Zach Neto (5), Oswald Peraza (4) and Jo Adell (4).
30. Chicago White Sox (12-17)
Munetaka Murakami. MLB’s home run leader resides on the South Side of Chicago, as the White Sox are reaping the benefits of industrywide skepticism that Murakami’s epic raw power would translate to the big leagues right away. Not once in their franchise history have the White Sox had MLB’s home run leader at the end of the season, and they haven’t had the American League home run leader since Dick Allen in 1974. Murakami has a lot of work to do and a lot of super sluggers to fend off to get there, but his hot start has been one of the best stories of the season.
Boston Celtics president Brad Stevens has been named the 2025-2026 NBA Basketball Executive of the Year. It’s the second time Stevens has won the award after first winning it in 2023-2024.
He is the 12th executive to win the award multiple times since it was first presented in 1972-73.
Stevens won this year’s award after leading the Celtics to a 55-26 season and securing the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, despite low expectations heading into the season with Jayson Tatum injured for most of the year. The offseason also saw the loss of key players from the 2024 NBA Finals team, such as Jrue Holiday, Al Horford and Kristaps Porziņģis, to help the team get under the luxury tax threshold.
Stevens and head coach Joe Mazzulla, who is a finalist for NBA Coach of the Year, also got a career year from Jaylen Brown and key production from players such as Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Neemias Queta and Sam Hauser.
Since transitioning to the front office before the 2021-22 season, Stevens has been the Celtics’ lead decision-maker. He hired former head coach Ime Udoka, acquired White before the trade deadline and led the team to its first NBA Finals appearance since 2010 in his first year as an executive.
Stevens had to quickly replace Udoka with Mazzulla after Udoka was suspended for the year. Every season since, Stevens has been aggressive in revamping and overhauling his roster through trades and free-agent additions.
Before transitioning into a front-office role, Stevens was the head coach of the Celtics for eight seasons. He was 354-282 and made the playoffs in seven of his eight seasons but failed to reach the Finals as a head coach despite reaching the Eastern Conference Finals three times.
Before joining the Celtics, Stevens coached Butler University for six seasons, going 166-49 and leading the Bulldogs to the national championship game in back-to-back seasons.
