Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier is under investigation by federal prosecutors for possibly manipulating his performance as part of an illegal sports betting scheme. The Wall Street Journal was first to report.
Rozier was a member of the Charlotte Hornets for the game in question. He has not been charged with a crime or accused of wrongdoing. Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel has reported “the league conducted an investigation and did not find a violation of NBA rules,” according to NBA spokesperson Mike Bass.
Heat referring requests for comment to NBA. Per NBA: spokesman Mike Bass: “The league conducted an investigation and did not find a violation of NBA rules. We are now aware of an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York related to this…
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) January 30, 2025
It was a game between the Hornets and the New Orleans Pelicans played on March 23, 2023. Rozier played just 10 minutes and had five points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal. He left the game with a sore right foot.
The Pelicans won that game, 115-96.
Rozier was averaging 21.2 points per game in the month of March until the event in question and didn’t play any of the remaining eight games in the season after that.
He averaged 21.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.2 steals for the entire 2022-23 season.
Rozier Investigation Details
This particular inquiry is part of a wider government probe into a sprawling ring of gamblers and poker players who have allegedly rigged games across the sports landscape.
Previously, as part of this investigation, former Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter received a criminal charge and lifetime ban from the NBA for his involvement.
The process Rozier is now a part of is to figure out whether people who arranged for Porter to fix his performance in two games last season had inside information for Rozier’s performance in the game against the Pelicans. The same people who were involved with Porter bet large sums of money on Rozier underperforming.
The NBA issued a statement saying that the league has already conducted its own investigation and that no league rules were found to be violated.
“In March 2023, the NBA was alerted to unusual betting activity related to Terry Rozier’s performance in a game between Charlotte and New Orleans. The league conducted an investigation and did not find a violation of NBA rules. We are now aware of an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York related to this matter and have been cooperating with that investigation.”
The specifics of the bets triggering the probe into the Hornets-Pelicans game are unknown.
Investigation Getting Deeper
It’s believed authorities are also looking into the gambling ring’s potential ties to college basketball, which would open up a whole new can of worms.
Porter’s case was deemed to be an isolated one, a fringe NBA player looking for a quick payday. Any possible wrongdoing on the part of Rozier would be a huge blow for the league.
Rozier is currently on a four-year, $96 million contract and has earned nearly $134 millin over the course of his 11 seasons in the league.
