Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier is being investigated by federal prosecutors over claims he deliberately underperformed to help an illegal gambling network profit.
The 30-year-old, nicknamed ‘Scary Terry’, was playing for the Charlotte Hornets in March 2023 when it’s alleged that he manipulated his efforts on the court – in a game that also saw suspicious betting patterns flagged by U.S. Integrity, an independent body that monitors for potentially illegal activity in gambling.
It comes hot on the heels of the investigation into former NBA ace Jontay Porter, who pled guilty to match fixing in a similar fashion back in 2024. He was banned from basketball for life.
Unusual Activity
Investigators are probing the possibility of an institutionalised, widespread gambling ring haunting the NBA.
Although Porter is the only former player to be found guilty so far, Rozier will now come under the microscope for his performance in that Hornets vs New Orleans Pelicans game back in 2023.
The specific details are not known, although it’s thought that a large number of prop wagers were placed on Rozier… so much so, some bookies ended up suspending their markets on the player.
As it turns out, the 30-year-old was substituted within ten minutes of the action starting after complaining of a foot injury. At the time, he had recorded five points, four rebounds and two assists, which was a lower output than his prop lines offered by bookmakers.
In the Porter case, the former Toronto Raptors player admitted to faking injuries and illnesses so that prop bets placed on him on the ‘unders’ side of the markets landed.
It should be said that Rozier has already been quizzed – and cleared – by the NBA as part of a probe into those suspicious betting patterns, however the matter has now been elevated and passed on to federal investigators, who will look for any signs of criminal activity.
A spokesman for the NBA revealed:
“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.
“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.”
At the time of writing, Rozier has not been charged with a criminal offence. His lawyer, Jim Trusty, commented:
“We are aware of the NBA’s 2023 investigation which determined there was absolutely no wrongdoing by Mr. Rozier, and we are confident that the on-going government investigation will arrive at the exact same conclusion.”
Prop and Drop
As part of his investigation, Porter admitted to feigning injury and/or illness so that he could reduce the number of minutes he spent on court.
That way, he could underperform his prop lines for stats likes points, rebounds and assists… without having to deliberately play badly.
The evidence gathered by prosecutors centred around a series of messages sent between Porter, his alleged co-conspirator Shane Hennen and other unnamed people said to be part of the gambling ring.
In one message sent on January 26, 2024, Porter told his alleged accomplices that he planned to get subbed off during the Raptors’ game with the LA Clippers the next day. He would ultimately play just four minutes.
On another occasion, Porter and Hennen had an alleged text message exchange in which the Toronto ace wrote:
“Hit unders for the big numbers. I told [name redacted for legal reasons] no blocks no steals. I’m going to play first 2-3 minute stint off the bench then when I get subbed out tell them my eye killing me again.”
It has been alleged that Hennen wagered at least $6,000 (£4,800) on outcomes linked to Porter’s performances; notably him failing to go over his prop line for points and rebounds.
As well as being banned for life from the NBA, Porter will now face the possibility of criminal charges, with the possibility of a prison term ranging from 3-20 years, depending on whether a judge believes he was coerced into his role in the scandal. The former player himself has claimed that he got involved in the scam in a bid to ‘get out from under large gambling debts.’
In one message to an unnamed associate, Porter wrote:
“u hate me and if I don’t get u 8k by Friday you’re coming to Toronto to beat me up.”