The NBA issued a statement on Thursday in response to a bombshell new report linking Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier to the illegal betting scandal that led to Jontay Porter’s lifetime ban from the league.
Federal investigators have been looking into whether Rozier manipulated his performance in a game during the 2022-23 season as part of a sports betting scheme, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal. The game in question took place on March 23, 2023, when Rozier was with the Charlotte Hornets.
While Rozier has not been directly accused of any wrongdoing, investigators have reportedly determined that members of the gambling ring that is believed to have conspired with Porter “also bet heavily against Rozier” ahead of the 2023 game.
Shortly after the WSJ story was published, the NBA said in a statement that the league already conducted an investigation into the questions surrounding Rozier. The investigation uncovered no wrongdoing, but the NBA is now cooperating with federal investigators.
“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,” the statement read.
NBA statement: “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.” https://t.co/6UkaDwH6fU
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 30, 2025
Rozier played just 10 minutes in the game in question, which was a 115-96 road loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. He had 5 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists before exiting with a foot injury. He did not play in the final eight games of the season.
Porter was banned from the NBA for life last April after league officials were alerted to irregularities with some prop bets that were placed on the former Toronto Raptors player. Porter was also found to have bet against his own team. He pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud last summer, telling prosecutors his motive was to get rid of a big gambling debt.
Rozier was traded to the Heat in exchange for Kyle Lowry and a draft pick a year ago. The 30-year-old has two years remaining on a 4-year $96 million contract.
