The NBA has been thrown into turmoil after Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups were arrested by the FBI early Thursday over alleged involvement in an illegal sports betting scandal.
According to reports, both men were detained in separate operations. FBI Director Kash Patel and prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York are expected to hold a press conference at 10 a.m. (ET) to give more details.
Rozier, 31, was picked up at a hotel in Orlando, Florida, just hours after the Heat lost to the Magic. He did not play in the game, with the team citing a coach’s decision.
His arrest comes months after betting regulators raised alarms about unusual wagers on his stats before a Charlotte Hornets vs. New Orleans Pelicans game on March 23, 2023, when Rozier was still with the Hornets.
Bookmakers reportedly noticed a sudden rush of bets, 30 wagers in just 46 minutes all betting that Rozier would record low numbers in points, rebounds, and assists. Those bets totaled $13,759 and led sportsbooks in several states to suspend betting on his performance that night.
Rozier played less than 10 minutes in that game, citing a “sore right foot,” and finished with only five points, four rebounds, and two assists — a stat line that fueled suspicions among investigators.
The March 2023 game turned out to be Rozier’s last with the Hornets before he was traded to the Heat in January 2024. He is currently in the final season of his four-year, $96.3 million contract signed in 2021.
Federal prosecutors had been investigating whether Rozier intentionally altered his performance to influence betting outcomes, linking the case to the earlier scandal involving former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter.
Porter was banned from the NBA in July 2024 after admitting he worked with gamblers to fix bets in his favor to repay large gambling debts. He and three others have since pleaded guilty, while two more suspects are reportedly in plea talks.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the league is taking the situation seriously and has been working with sportsbooks to prevent further manipulation.
“We’ve asked some of our betting partners to scale back on player-specific prop bets,” Silver said on The Pat McAfee Show. “It’s too easy for certain players to influence outcomes that might seem minor but can be exploited.”
