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Ex-NBA player Damon Jones first to plead guilty in pair of gambling cases

Former NBA player Damon Jones became the first person toplead guiltyin a pair of federal indictments involving34 defendants, including some with alleged links to the mafia and other NBA figures.

Jones, 49, was among three people charged in both indictments, one of which focused on poker schemes in which wealthy victims were allegedly lured to play in rigged games against athletes. The other focuses on sports betting, accusing the formerCleveland Cavaliersguard of using inside information to place bets.

In total, Jones pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud conspiracy Tuesday.

Reading from a prepared statement inside Brooklyn federal court in the first of two hearings, Jones acknowledged he used "insider information" he obtained from the relationships he made during his time as a player, the Associated Press reported.

He apologized to his family, colleagues and the NBA as part of his statement.

CBS News has reached out to his attorney for comment.

Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones arrives at Brooklyn federal court, April 28, 2026, in New York. / Credit: AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura

In the sports betting case, federal prosecutors accused Jones of sending a tip about "a prominent NBA player, saying: 'Get a big bet onMilwaukeetonight before the information is out! [Player 3] is out tonight.'" Heappears to be referring to LeBron James, a former teammate and longtime friend. James is not accused of any wrongdoing.

Prosecutors have not indicated that pleas are expected for other defendants in the sports betting cases. On Monday,Miami HeatplayerTerry Rozierwhopleaded not guiltyto charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, appeared in court for a motionto dismisshis case.

Instead, federal prosecutors said during the hearing that they intend to bring additional charges – including bribery and wire fraud – against the NBA star by mid-May.

Prosecutors accused Jones of participating in a rigged poker game in Las Vegas in 2019, court documents said, that used a device described as a "rigged shuffling machine" that was secretly altered to read the cards. The FBI said a victim was defrauded of $50,000 in that game.

Eleven other defendants caught up in the investigation areset to make pleaagreements.

Jones' sentencing is set for Jan. 6, 2027, the AP reported.

byAlpha World

in

April 29, 2026

Ex-NBA player Damon Jones first to plead guilty in pair of gambling cases

Former NBA player Damon Jones became the first person toplead guiltyin a pair of federal indictments involving34 defendants, including ...

Raptors win low-scoring Game 4 over Cavaliers to level series

Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes each scored 23 points Sunday afternoon and the Toronto Raptors held off the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers, 93-89, to even the best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round playoff series at 2-2.

Game 5 of the series is Wednesday at Cleveland.

RJ Barrett added 18 points for the Raptors, and Collin Murray-Boyles scored 15 with 10 rebounds. Jakob Poeltl contributed 10 points.

Donovan Mitchell scored 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter for Cleveland. James Harden added 19 points but had seven turnovers. Jarrett Allen had three points and a game-high 15 rebounds, while Sam Merrill contributed 14 points.

Toronto led by two points entering the fourth quarter. Barrett's 10-foot floater gave Toronto a six-point lead with 9:28 to play. But Mitchell drained a 3-pointer to tie the game at 74 and he made another 3-pointer that gave Cleveland a six-point lead with 5:14 left.

The lead reached eight on Mitchell's two made free throws with 4:55 left. Ingram's 3-pointer cut the lead to two with 2:36 to play but Merrill answered with a 3-pointer.

Barrett's bank shot cut the margin to one with 49 seconds to go. After a Cleveland turnover, Barnes made two free throws to give Toronto a one-point lead. Mitchell missed a floater and Ingram grabbed the rebound with 23 seconds left. Barnes made two free throws before Mitchell missed a would-be game-tying 3-pointer.

Barrett made one free throw to bump the lead to four and Merrill hit a 22-foot jumper to cut the lead to two before Barnes sealed the game with 3.8 seconds left on two free throws.

Barnes added nine rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots to his stat line. He scored 10 fourth-quarter points, knocking down all six free throw attempts in the final 34.6 seconds.

"Scottie is going to be one of the best players in the league," said Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic. "He's already one of the best players in the league. But how much he cares about winning, it's pushing him forward to whatever it takes to win a game. That's what makes him so special, so I expect to see him continue to get better."

Barnes was more focused on the team concept than any individual aspect of his own game.

"I think that's what makes our bond just so tight, we're just focusing on how we can grow," he said after the game. "And we're trying to do it together and finding ways of how we can communicate with each other each and every single day while we're on the court, off the court, and just keep growing our bond."

Cleveland led 17-14 after a sloppy first quarter.

Toronto was 0-for-14 from 3-point range before Barrett hit one with 8:31 remaining in the second quarter to cut the deficit to four. After Cleveland took an eight-point lead on Mitchell's 3-pointer, Toronto finished the first half on a 10-0 run capped by Ingram's 3-pointer to take a 38-36 lead into the break.

The first half featured poor shooting from both teams. Cleveland shot 33.3% (15 of 45) from the field and Toronto shot 27.8% (15 of 54).

"We had trouble scoring all game, but so did they," said Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson. "So it was one of those types of games where it was tough to score the ball. Typical playoff game. I love our guys' fight. We fought like crazy.

"They won the possession battle by 15. If you do the math, that's really tough to overcome. We've got to turn that around in Game 5."

Harden converted two free throws to give Cleveland an eight-point lead with 4:38 remaining in the third quarter. Toronto chipped away and took a one-point lead on Sandro Mamukelashvili's layup with 45 seconds left. The Raptors led 60-58 after three quarters.

They would prevail despite misfiring on 26 of 30 attempts (13.3%) from behind the arc. But they did convert a dozen more free throws than the Cavs (27-15) and Cleveland only knocked down 15 of 23 (65.2%) from the stripe.

"It's time for us to make an adjustment in the sense of just being aggressive and getting to the basket and taking shots and opportunities when we have them," said Harden. "Low-scoring game today, it feels like nobody could really get it going. There's an opportunity to tighten up on the little things and closing the quarters well even when we're not shooting the ball well, eliminating the second-chance points, things you can control."

--Field Level Media

byAlpha World

in

April 29, 2026

Raptors win low-scoring Game 4 over Cavaliers to level series

Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes each scored 23 points Sunday afternoon and the Toronto Raptors held off the visiting Cleveland Cavali...

Jimmy Kimmel calls out Donald Trump for similarly joking about his own death: 'You should be fired for that!'

Jimmy Kimmel is calling out Donald Trump for joking about his death just one day after the president publicly called for the late-night host to be fired for a similar punchline.

Donald Trump; Jimmy KimmelCredit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty; Jesse Grant/Variety/Getty

Key Points

Trump joked to his wife, Melania, that the length of their marriage would not be able to surpass his parents' 63-year-long record in a televised speech on Tuesday.
“Wait a minute, did he just make a joke about his death? My God. You should be fired for that!” Kimmel quipped.

Jimmy Kimmelis calling outDonald Trumpfor cracking a joke about his mortality just one day after the presidentpublicly called for the late-night host to be firedfor a similar punchline.

The 79-year-old president made headlines on Tuesday when hepaused in the middle of a televised speech at the White Houseto jokingly inform his wife,Melania Trump, 56, that they likely wouldn’t beat his parents’ 63-year-long marriage record.

"And, uh, excuse me, if you don't mind, that's a record we won't be able to match, darling,” Trump said, drawing laughs from those onstage. “I’m sorry, it's just not going to work out that way. We'll do well, but we're not going to do that well.”

One person who wasn’t laughing? Kimmel, who addressed the president’s age-related joke in his opening monologue on Tuesday night. “Wait a minute, did he just make a joke about his death?” the host questioned. “My God. You should be fired for that!”

Jimmy Kimmel hosts 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'Credit: Disney/Randy Holmes

He continued, “Only Donald Trump would demand I be fired for making a joke about his old age and then a day later, go out and make a joke about his own old age!”

Trump demanded that Disney and ABC fire Kimmel in the wake of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting because, days before the incident occurred, Kimmelhosted his own mock version of the event onJimmy Kimmel Live, where he teased that the First Lady had “a glow like an expectant widow.”

Melania similarlydenounced the quip in a rare X post in the aftermath of the incident, stating that “Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoricis intended to divide our country” and requesting that ABC “take a stand.”

Kimmeladdressed the Trumps’ remarks on Monday’s episode ofJimmy Kimmel Live,sharing his relief that “no one was hurt” at the event and explaining the joke to them.

"It was a very light roast joke about the fact that [Trump] is almost 80 and she's younger than I am,” he said. “It was not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination, and they know that I've been very vocal for many years speaking out against gun violence in particular."

He added, “I am sorry that you and the president and everyone in that room on Saturday went through that. I really am. Just because no one get got killed doesn't mean it wasn't traumatic and scary. We should come together andbe best. We really should.”

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with ourEW Dispatch newsletter.

One day after the president called for Kimmel’s dismissal, the Federal Communications Commission, which is headed by Trump appointee Brendan Carr,ordered the Walt Disney Company to submit early renewals of its TV stations. The company must now file the renewals, which were previously scheduled to be renewed between 2028 and 2031, for all of its stations within the next 30 days.

Several celebrities have come forward to defend Kimmel following the backlash he's received over the joke, including Gayle King, whoreacted to the situation on Monday’s episode ofCBS Mornings.“Jimmy Kimmel is not some crazy person who would wish the president to be killed," she insisted. "That's... he just would not do that."

George Clooneyalso spoke out about the "heated" controversy while attending the 51st Chaplin Award Gala. “When one side is calling anyone they disagree with traitors to the country, which is a charge that’s punishable by death, just because they don’t agree with someone, I think the rhetoric is a little too heated,” he said.

Watch Kimmel react to Trump's punchline in the clip above.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

byAlpha World

in

April 29, 2026

Jimmy Kimmel calls out Donald Trump for similarly joking about his own death: 'You should be fired for that!'

Jimmy Kimmel is calling out Donald Trump for joking about his death just one day after the president publicly called for the late-night...

Kaden Wetjen gives Steelers elite return specialist on Day 3 of NFL draft

ThePittsburgh SteelersselectedIowawide receiver Kaden Wetjen in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft on Saturday, April 25. Wetjen, a 5-9, 193-pound prospect, began his college career in the junior college ranks before taking a preferred walk-on opportunity at Iowa. He became an electric weapon for the Hawkeyes. While he did appear on offense, his explosiveness was particularly evident on special teams.

Wetjen is the first two-time Jet Award winner, given to the most outstanding return specialist in college football. Wetjen finished his Iowa career with six combined punt and kick return touchdowns.USA TODAY Sports' draft analyst Ayrton Ostly called Wetjen "one of the best return specialists in college football history who is an elusive open-field runner." However, according to Ostly, Wetjen's "smaller catch radius limits his ceiling as a slot receiver."

Steelers Kaden Wetjen selection grade: C+

This might seem a bit early for Wetjen, but he's a big play in a bottle. He can flip the field in a hurry as a returner and give an electric element to Pittsburgh and its methodical approach. Still, the price is fairly exorbitant for a player who might not be much of a factor in the pass game beyond some scattered manufactured touches. –Jacob Camenker, USA TODAY Sports

The 2026 NFL Draft Theater stage at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa. on April 23, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> A general overall view of the downtown skyline and Fort Duquesne bridge of the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, Pa. on April 22, 2026.