Former Boston Celtics point guard Terry Rozier, now the starting point guard for the Miami Heat, has found himself in some hot water over an off-court issue.
Rozier is under investigation by federal prosecutors for his apparent role in a sports betting scandal, per Jared Diamond, Louise Radnofsky and Robert O’Connell of The Wall Street Journal.
Prior to his Charlotte Hornets' 115-96 defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans on March 23, 2023, a flurry of "unusual" prop bets related to Rozier underperforming against his anticipated statistical output were placed. The league and various sportsbooks were made aware of the activity, and some opted to decline further betting on Rozier that day.
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Rozier suited up for 9:34, notching five points on 2-of-4 shooting from the field (1-of-3 from long range), four rebounds, two assists and a steal. He departed the contest in the first quarter, claiming to be plagued by a foot injury. He would go on to sit out the last eight games of the year with the ailment. Charlotte flipped him to the Heat the next season.
“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,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement released initially to The Wall Street Journal. “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.”
Until he is officially charged with a crime or directly accused of being involved in this activity, Rozier is expected to keep playing for Miami even as the betting continues to be investigated, reports Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
Why Rozier would want to risk potentially his career over some quick change is anyone's guess. The 30-year-old is currently earning $24.9 million this season, and is owed $26.6 million in 2025-26, the final year of his current deal.
“We are aware of the NBA’s 2023 investigation which determined there was absolutely no wrongdoing by Mr. Rozier and we are confident that the ongoing government investigation will arrive at the exact same conclusion,” Jim Trusty, Rozier's lawyer, informed ESPN.
This Rozier probe folds into the federal investigation that ensnared former Toronto Raptors two-way center Jontay Porter betting against his own over/unders last season. He would eventually go on to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, a federal felony. The NBA banned him for life over the infraction.
“Authorities believe some of the people who arranged for Porter to fix his performance in two games last season had inside information that prompted them to bet large sums of money against Rozier a year earlier,” write Diamond, Radnofsky and O’Connell.