Professional gambler: Jones often hangs out in Vegas casinos and claims to be a friend of James to gain trust.

Today, the New York Post exclusively reported more details about former NBA player Damon Jones, who was arrested in connection with a gambling case.

Former Cavaliers player and current NBA gambling suspect Damon Jones often shows off his friendship with LeBron James in Las Vegas in an attempt to gain some favors, an eyewitness said Friday.

Michael Osborne, a professional gambler and sports bettor, told the New York Post that he often saw 49-year-old Jones hanging out near the ARIA Resort and Casino in Las Vegas with a Cuban cigar in his mouth, so much so that he thought Jones lived there.

"He's a terrible, depraved gambler," Osborne claimed. The former player is accused of leaking James' injury status involving a Lakers game in 2023 to get a $2,500 payoff from a gambler, according to law enforcement sources and court documents. Osborne said that while Jones was wandering around Las Vegas, he and his friends would sometimes throw tens of thousands of dollars at the craps tables. He would flaunt his NBA status, including his relationship with superstar James, who was not involved in the gambling scandal.

"He'll say he's LeBron James' best friend - basically, he's using that as his calling card to get people to trust him and open some doors for him." Osborne said of Jones.

According to Osborne, Jones would smoke $200 worth of high-end Cuban cigars in Las Vegas casinos, wear designer clothes, and sometimes even loungewear, as if he lived in ARIA. Osborne, a frequent visitor to Las Vegas over the past 15 years, said he himself would smoke cigars in ARIA's "high-limit" room, a special lounge set up for high-stakes games, where he would often see Jones eyeing lucky gamblers. "Jones would keep a close eye on who was betting there," he said, claiming the player often borrowed money from lucky punters in order to gamble with them.

In addition to Jones' alleged illegal disclosure of James' injuries, he was also involved in a widespread scam involving millions of dollars. The scheme lured wealthy individuals from the NBA and other fields into participating in a poker game run by four of New York City's notorious Mafia families.

Osborne suggested that some of the victims of the rigged poker games may have been handpicked from rooms inside the ARIA hotel.