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Report: Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier arrested in sports betting gambling probe

Untitled design (2)by: Sam Gillenwater13 hours agosamdg_33
G Terry Rozier
Reggie Hildred | Imagn Images

The Miami Heat tipped off their season last night with a 125-121 loss to the Orlando Magic. Terry Rozier, though, was did not play, and will not be with the team moving forward following his reported arrest earlier this morning.

Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, Rozier was arrested in Orlando on Thursday as part of a sports betting probe being conducted by the FBI. Their investigation into him specifically relates to a game in which he played back in March of 2023, when several wagers were flagged on his player props. Rozier was with the Charlotte Hornets at the time, playing against the New Orleans Pelicans.

“Rozier was arrested Thursday morning at a hotel in Orlando, Florida, where the Heat lost on the road Wednesday to the Orlando Magic. Rozier did not play due to a coach’s decision,” Charania wrote this morning, along with David Purdum. “Sportsbooks in multiple states flagged suspicious betting interest on Rozier’s statistics ahead of a Charlotte Hornets-New Orleans Pelicans game on March 23, 2023. An unexpected surge of bets came in on the under on Rozier’s points, rebounds and assists, causing sportsbooks to halt betting on the veteran guard. Rozier played just 10 minutes before leaving the game, citing a foot injury.”

This is now not the only notable arrest this morning from around the NBA, according to Charania. Chauncey Billups, the head coach of the Portland Trailblazers, as well as a former All-Star and a Hall of Famer, has also reportedly been arrested on a related, but separate, case related to gambling, which has been further clarified in reporting at ABC News. That’s after Billips coached the Blazers on Wednesday night in a 118-114 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

More information on the other related arrests will come later this morning. Kash Patel, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, will have a press conference at 9 a.m. to discuss these latest developments in the probe.

This comes amidst another gambling issue from within the NBA. Jontay Porter was previously under investigation and later arrested for similar irregularities involving his player props. He later pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to commit wire fraud after manipulating his statistics in a pair of games in 2023-2024. He was banned for life by the National Basketball Association in April of 2024 and is scheduled to be sentenced for that crime in December. Three other men have also pleaded guilty in that instance, and two other conspirators have been in plea negotiations, per court filings on the matter.

Malik Beasley is an example of another player who was investigated as part of the probe back at the end of June. However, Beasley was no longer a subject in the investigation as of August.

Rozier, a former first-round pick out of Louisville in the 2015 NBA Draft, is a decade into his career in the NBA, with stops with the Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, and Miami Heat. He has averaged 13.9 points (41.8% FG, 36.1% 3PT on 2.0 makes), 3.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game in that time in the association.

In the noted game back in March of 2023, Rozier played for nine minutes and 34 seconds. He finished with five points, four rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a turnover in a 115-96 loss by Charlotte in New Orleans. He then exited with that foot injury, with that being his final appearance of that season in 2023-24.

Sports betting has become a more prevalent topic in every league and almost every level. However, with these reported arrests, and with what could be revealed as soon as this morning by the FBI, the NBA could have a significant issue on its hands in relation to it, with both an active player as well as a sitting head coach apparently in custody of the bureau this morning.