Federal prosecutors are investigating whether NBA veteran Terry Rozier altered his performance as part of an illegal sports betting operation, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
Rozier, now a point guard for the Miami Heat, was playing for the Charlotte Hornets when the game under scrutiny occurred on March 23, 2023.
The bets placed on Rozier for that game, a 115-96 loss to the host New Orleans Pelicans, were “strange enough” to catch the attention of U.S. Integrity, a firm that monitors betting markets for suspicious activity.
U.S. Integrity notified the NBA and sportsbooks about the unusual wagers placed on Rozier’s projected stats for the game. He started the game but played only 9:34 due to a foot injury and finished with five points (he averaged 21.1 points and 35.3 minutes per game that season).
Rozier, 30, has not been charged with any crimes or even accused of wrongdoing.
Rozier’s representative declined to comment to the Wall Street Journal. The Heat referred requests for comment to the NBA.
NBA spokesman Mike Bass released a statement saying that the league’s own investigation did not find a violation of its rules.
“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,” 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.”
Now in his 10th NBA season, Rozier is averaging 11.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 41 games (21 starts) for the Heat.
–Field Level Media
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