Miami Heat guard and NBA veteran Terry Rozier was charged with assisting sports bettors through non-public information. Rozier and others associated with the league were arrested and federally indicted, including Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups.
In Rozier’s case, the issues under scrutiny stemmed from Rozier allegedly telling people that he would leave a game early due to injury. Rozier, who was still playing for the Charlotte Hornets at the time, left a March 2023 game against the New Orleans Pelicans after playing only nine minutes.
Bettors were able to place wagers that earned them several thousands of dollars in profit after Rozier’s prop bets went under for the night. Rozier’s appearance that night was his last of the 2022-23 season, and he did not appear again until the 2023-24 campaign.
Rozier’s Formal Response to Charges
Rozier was arraigned in Brooklyn, New York on Monday, and the veteran player pleaded not guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges. Rozier was ordered by a magistrate judge to not gamble, and to refrain from contact with people who are involved in his case.
The 31-year-old only answered “yes” or “no” to questions from the judge, and his lawyer did not comment after the hearing ended. When Rozier was first charged, his attorney asserted that his client was “not a gambler,” and that he looks forward to being exonerated.
Rozier and Billups are among more than 30 individuals who were charged following the federal government’s probe into illegal gambling operations, including several members of organized crime groups.
Other NBA Figures Involved in Gambling Probe
Damon Jones, another former NBA player and assistant coach, was charged as well. He pleaded not guilty last month after it was alleged that he gave bettors non-public information on certain players’ injury statuses.
Jones and Billups were also allegedly involved in the illicit poker games run by illegal crime organizations, and Jones was also indicted on those charges. Jones is currently not employed by an NBA team, but Billups and Rozier are currently on unpaid leave from the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers, respectively.
Billups pleaded not guilty to the charges related to the illegal poker games, where he was formally charged with money laundering and wire fraud.
Rozier has been in the NBA since 2015, when he was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 16th overall pick. He played at the University of Louisville in college, and has been a member of multiple playoff teams.
