Terry Rozier under federal investigation over suspicious gambling activity
Bizarre gambling activity around Terry Rozier’s performance in a 2023 game has put the Heat guard under federal investigation
Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier is being investigated by federal authorities after he checked out of a game early in 2023 following a big rush of money on “under” prop bets against the New Orleans Pelicans when he was with the Charlotte Hornets.
The Wall Street Journal broke the story that the feds are looking into Rozier as part of a sprawling probe that led to an indictment of Jontay Porter last year. Porter was an end-of-the-bench player just trying to stay in the league, and he received a lifetime ban from the NBA for allegedly working with gamblers to manipulate his gambling odds. Porter pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and is awaiting sentencing.
The Wall Street Journal points to a March 2023 game when Rozier was a member of the Hornets that immediately raised red flags. Rozier had been one of the Hornets top performers during a hot stretch coming into the game, but subbed out with a foot injury after only nine minutes. The Journal reports that there was a flood of money coming in on the “under” totals for Rozier’s props earlier in the day, which led to some sportsbooks refusing to accept bets on him.
Rozier was traded from the Hornets to the Heat in Jan. of 2024. Rozier has made more than $110 million playing basketball in the NBA.
This the latest investigation into suspicious gambling action — and Rozier is the most high-profile athlete named so far. The feds also investigated Temple men’s basketball after the line for a game against Tulane moved dramatically for no real reason last year.
The NBA issued this response:
NBA spokesman Mike Bass: “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 conductedan investigation and did not find a violation of NBA rules. We are now aware of an…
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 30, 2025
We’ll update this story as it develops.