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 that have rocked the basketball world.

During back-to-back hearings in Brooklyn federal court on 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 Los Angeles 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 the 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.

Rozier, who is still on leave from the NBA but was waived by the Heat earlier this month, pleaded not guilty in the sports betting case after being charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.

Prior to a March 2023 game, in which he played a mere 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 that they intend to soon bring new charges against the 32-year-old. They’re accusing of him taking a bribe and of depriving the Hornets of his honest services, as reported by the Times on Tuesday.

The rigged poker ring case featured another member of the NBA, too. Both Jones and Basketball Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, currently on leave from his post as Portland Trail Blazers head coach, were alleged to have helped ostensibly legitimize illegal poker games by luring unknowing players into a scheme backed by the Mafia. Billups, 49, has pleaded not guilty in the rigged poker ring case.

As for Jones, he admitted Tuesday that he was paid as a “face card” in that scheme, using his celebrity to bait high rollers in 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.”