Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier is reportedly under investigation for potential illegal gambling activity, and it sounds like some social media posts from bettors may have played a role in the probe.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that 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. 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 former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter “also bet heavily against Rozier” ahead of a 2023 game.
The game in question took place on March 23, 2023, when Rozier was with the Charlotte Hornets. At the time, even casual gamblers noticed something was amiss. One fantasy sports content creator realized that many sportsbooks were inexplicably not offering any prop bets on Rozier. After Rozier exited the game early, the creator predicted that “conspiracy theorists are gonna run with this one.”
And now Rozier plays just 9 minutes and then is out the rest of the game? Conspiracy theorists are gonna run with this one. https://t.co/u3DX3H8uHw
— Noah (@DFSbyNoah) March 24, 2023
Another bettor claimed (perhaps jokingly) that he caught wind of a plan for Rozier to leave “in the first or second quarter (depending on game flow and live lines) so that his unders would hit.”
OMG Terry Rozier is absolutely finished. Cooked. He’s done for good, you’ll never see him in an NBA game again. Book it. pic.twitter.com/q6mjlZK0nb
— Wallace James (@joker15goat) 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.
Investigators are likely looking into whether Rozier chose not to disclose his injury so he could play in the game and leave early. You can see why the incident has drawn comparisons to what happened with Porter, especially after some stunning text messages from the now-banned former Toronto Raptors player were recently made public.
The NBA said in a statement on Thursday that they already looked into the Rozier situation and determined that there was no wrongdoing. The league is now cooperating with federal investigators.
