Federal investigators are reportedly examining unusual betting activity involving Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier during his time with the Charlotte Hornets, according to the Wall Street Journal. This follows allegations of NBA player Jontay Porter’s involvement in similar schemes.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has not commented, while both the Heat and Hornets referred inquiries to the NBA’s official statement.
Rozier, 30, exited a March 23, 2023 game after playing just over nine minutes, citing a foot injury, and did not return for the remainder of the season. With Charlotte already out of playoff contention, his season shutdown initially appeared routine.
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In the March 23 game, Rozier recorded five points, four rebounds, and two assists in just over nine minutes before exiting with a foot injury.
While his performance was productive, it fell short of his typical game output. According to reports, Rozier has not been accused of any crime or wrongdoing amid the ongoing investigation into unusual betting activity.
“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. “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.”
Reports indicate that bettors talked about “inside info” suggesting Rozier would exit the March 23 game early.
“At least I was in on it today,” one X user @gehrenbergdfs posted. “Got lucky that I was fed some inside info that Rozier was leaving in the first or second quarter (depending on game flow and live lines) so that his unders would hit.”
The X user reportedly shared a winning $122 wager on Rozier’s unders on FanDuel, yielding a $100 profit amid speculation over his early game exit.
Rozier, who averaged 23.2 points per game with the Hornets, has seen his scoring drop to 12.1 points per game this season.
The 30-year-old guard is in the third year of a four-year, $96 million contract signed in 2022.
Former Raptors player Jontay Porter received a lifetime ban from the NBA after being found guilty of deliberately limiting his game participation for betting purposes. Porter pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy in July.
