The Miami Heat shooting guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups have been arrested in connection with a federal investigation into sports betting, according to people familiar with the matter who told The Associated Press on Thursday.
Two people spoke with AP about Rozier on the condition of anonymity because they could not publicly discuss the details of the investigation. One of these individuals also informed AP about Billups’s arrest.
The NBA did not comment immediately. The league has previously investigated Rozier and remains probing the actions of Malik Beasley, a former Detroit player, according to one AP source.
Rozier was suited up for the Heat’s game against the Magic in Orlando on Wednesday night, though he did not participate in the game. He was arrested in Orlando in the early hours of Thursday. The team did not immediately comment on the arrest.
A message was left Thursday for Rozier’s attorney, Jim Trusty.
Trusty previously told ESPN that Rozier had been informed that an initial investigation determined he had done nothing wrong after meeting with NBA and FBI investigators in 2023, the network reported.
It was expected that FBI Director Kash Patel and other authorities would provide more information at a Thursday news conference.
The case was brought by the same U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn that previously prosecuted Jontay Porter, a former NBA player. The former Toronto Raptors center pleaded guilty to charges of prematurely exiting games, saying illness or injury, so those in the know could profit by betting that he wouldn’t meet expectations.
One contested game involving Rozier took place on March 23, 2023, a matchup between the Charlotte Hornets and the New Orleans Pelicans. Rozier played the first nine minutes and 36 seconds of that game, and not only did he not return that night, citing a foot issue, but he did not play again that season. Charlotte had eight games left and was out of playoff contention, so it did not seem particularly unusual for Rozier to be ruled out for the season’s remaining games.
In that March 23 game, Rozier finished with five points, four rebounds and two assists in that opening period, a productive quarter but well below his usual full-game production.
Online posts from March 23, 2023 show that some bettors were furious with sportsbooks that night when it became evident Rozier would not return to the Charlotte–New Orleans game after the first quarter, with many taking to social media to say something “suspicious” had occurred regarding bets tied to his stats for that night.
