Terry Rozier of the Miami Heat is the subject of a probe by federal prosecutors into whether he altered his play as part of an illegal sports betting scheme, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The focus on Rozier is part of a wider investigation into a ring of gamblers who allegedly rigged sporting events. This probe is part of the one that resulted in Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter being charged with a felony and receiving a lifetime ban from the NBA.
Authorities believe the people who worked with Porter to manipulate his performance during two games last season used inside information to bet large amounts of money against Rozier a year earlier when he was with the Charlotte Hornets.
“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,” said NBA spokesman Mike Bass in a statement. “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 game in question occurred on March 23, 2023 — a 115-96 victory for the Pelicans over the Hornets that saw Rozier record five points in 10 minutes played before leaving with a foot injury and not returning. He would not play again that season, missing the team’s final eight games.
Betting activity involving Rozier that night raised enough suspicion that U.S. Integrity, which monitors betting markets, took notice.
The NBA and sports books were notified of unusual wagering on Rozier failing to meet certain statistical outcomes, such as his total number of points scored or total rebounds. Some sports books reportedly stopped accepting bets related to Rozier’s performance for that game.
According to the WSJ, U.S. Integrity sent only three alerts involving NBA games over the previous two seasons — two involved games that Porter was playing in; the other was one featuring Rozier.
Rozier has not been charged as it has not been determined by investigators whether he deliberately altered his performance during the game in question.
Following Porter’s ban, the NBA’s betting partners announced they would not offer “under” or prop bets on players making the lowest salaries or working on a two-way or 10-day contract. This agreement includes major sports books, including FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM.
The investigation is also exploring ties to college basketball with regard to potential point-shaving. Former Temple player Hysier Miller is being investigated for potentially betting on games in which he played. At the end of last season, Temple games had been flagged by U.S. Integrity for unusual wagering activity on the school’s March 7 game against the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
The NCAA is also investigating. A Temple spokesman said that they will “cooperate fully should we be contacted.”
Rozier, 30, was a first-round draft pick by the Boston Celtics in 2016. He played four seasons with the Celtics before being traded to the Hornets in 2019. He spent parts of five seasons in Charlotte before being dealt to Miami in Jan. 2024.
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