According to sources, Terry Rozier of the Miami Heat and Chauncey Billups of the Portland Trail Blazers have been arrested in connection with separate gambling investigations.
Rozier was taken into custody Thursday morning in a hotel in Orlando, Florida. He had been out of the Heat’s season-opening game the night before, where he did not play due to a coaching decision.
Billups’s arrest, which occurred in Oregon, involves a case tied to an illegal poker ring allegedly connected to organized crime with members of the Mafia.
Also arrested Thursday was former Cleveland Cavaliers player and assistant coach Damon Jones. He is accused of providing inside information about NBA games to co-defendants who placed sports bets.
In one case involving Rozier, sportsbooks in several states flagged unusual betting patterns ahead of a March 23, 2023 game between the Charlotte Hornets and the New Orleans Pelicans. A professional bettor placed 30 separate wagers in 46 minutes, totaling $13,759, on the “under” for Rozier’s points, rebounds and assists. The sportsbooks stopped accepting bets on his stats. Rozier, then with the Hornets, played only 10 minutes and exited with a foot injury.
Rozier’s attorney, Jim Trusty, told ESPN that his client had met multiple times with NBA and FBI officials in 2023. The league had reviewed the matter at the time and found no violation of its rules.
Billups, a Hall-of-Fame inductee in 2024, has been head coach of the Trail Blazers since 2021. Further details about his case remain limited at this time.
Rozier, age 31, is in the final year of a four-year, $96.3 million contract he signed in August 2021 while with the Hornets. He was traded to the Heat in January 2024.
The investigation traces back to a gambling scandal involving former Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter, who pleaded guilty in court to conspiracy charges after admitting to manipulating his performance in games during the 2023-24 season. Porter is awaiting sentencing in December.
Adam Silver, commissioner of the NBA, said the league is working with its sportsbook partners to crack down on potential manipulation of player prop bets — particularly those involving players who have limited roles and may be more susceptible to exploitation.
