Terry Rozier declined to comment on Friday about the investigations by federal prosecutors into unusual betting patterns related to his play in a 2023 game with the Charlotte Hornets.
Rozier, now with the Miami Heat, is connected to the same investigation that led to former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter being banned for life from the NBA. Porter is also facing criminal charges and has pleaded guilty to wire fraud. Porter is waiting for his sentencing, but there is no indication that Rozier is under criminal investigation or has been charged.
“On advice from counsel, I can’t answer any questions about that matter,” Rozier said on Friday. “So, I won’t.”
The Wall Street Journal first reported the investigation about the Hornets-New Orleans game on March 23, 2023, involving Rozier. In that game, Rozier played for 9 1/2 minutes before leaving with what was described as foot discomfort and not returning. He did not play again for the Hornets that season.
The NBA said it previously looked into the situation and found no violations of league rules. It confirmed on Thursday that the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York is investigating, and the league is “cooperating with that investigation.”
Rozier, who is averaging 12.1 points per game this season, will continue to play for the Heat. Miami starts a road trip at San Antonio on Saturday.
“His status is still the same,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said when asked about Rozier on Friday.
Rozier said he is “in a great headspace” and does not expect the investigation to affect his focus on basketball.
“It’s kind of always been easy. It’s kind of been my life,” Rozier said. “You know, once I get in between them lines, I can block out anything. So, it’ll be pretty easy for me. I’m around a great group of guys. We’ve got a great locker room, great staff, so it’s easy for me.”
In the March 23 game, Rozier had five points, four rebounds, and two assists in the first quarter, which was below his usual total for a full game.
Social media posts from that day show that some bettors were upset with sportsbooks when it became clear that Rozier would not return to the game after the first quarter. Many questioned why Rozier’s stats were affected by his early exit, especially since some sportsbooks had removed his prop bets hours before the game, without clear explanation. Rozier had not been listed on the injury report for that game.
Rozier, 30, is in the third year of a four-year, $96.3 million contract.
Porter’s ban came after an investigation into his performance and “prop bets,” where bettors choose whether a player will meet certain statistical targets during a game. The investigation began when the league learned about unusual betting patterns from “licensed sports betting operators and an organization that monitors legal betting markets” regarding Porter’s performance in a March 20, 2024, game against Sacramento.
The league determined that Porter had shared his health status with a bettor before the game. That person placed an $80,000 bet that Porter would not reach his set numbers, a bet that could have won $1.1 million.
