Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham (2) shoots over Indiana Pacers guard Ethan Thompson (55) in Indianapolis on Sunday. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Jones to

plead guilty

NEW YORK (AP) — Ex-NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones is expected to become the first person to plead guilty in a gambling sweep that led to the arrests of more than 30 people, including reputed mobsters and other basketball figures.

A change of plea hearing for Jones is scheduled for April 28 in Brooklyn federal court. That’s according to court filings on Thursday.

The 49-year-old Jones had previously pleaded not guilty to separate indictments charging him with profiting from rigged poker games and providing sports bettors with non-public information about injuries to stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Cunningham,

Doncic eligible

The Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic and Detroit’s Cade Cunningham will be eligible for awards such as MVP and All-NBA this season despite falling short of the 65-game minimum.

The league and the National Basketball Players Association announced the ruling on Thursday. Doncic played in 64 games and Cunningham played in 63. But the league and the union both agreed that each should be on the ballot based on the “extraordinary circumstances provision” in the collective bargaining agreement.

An appeal to get Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards on the ballot failed.

Dodgers spent

$515 million

NEW YORK (AP) — The Dodgers shattered Major League Baseball’s spending record with a combined $515 million in payroll and luxury tax last year en route to their second straight World Series title, according to final figures compiled by the commissioner’s office, and Los Angeles is projected for the highest total again in 2026.

Los Angeles’ 2025 spending included records for payroll at $345.3 million and tax of $169.4 million. Despite having several contracts discounted to reflect deferred payments, the Dodgers’ total was seven times the $68.7 million payroll of the Miami Marlins, the lowest-spending team, and more than the payrolls of the bottom six clubs combined.

Bronny plays

bigger role

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — LeBron James and Bronny James seem likely to play postseason minutes together this month when the Los Angeles Lakers face the Houston Rockets in the first round.

The greatest scorer in NBA history and his 21-year-old son have been teammates for nearly two years, but the prospect of accomplishing a new first is still special to both generations.

Bronny’s playing time has increased over the last month, and he has been a rotation piece for the Lakers since Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves went down with injuries two weeks ago.

LeBron takes an obvious fatherly pride in Bronny’s development into a contributor for their short-handed team.