Former Hornets star Terry Rozier linked to federal gambling investigation

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Former Charlotte Hornets star Terry Rozier is reportedly under federal investigation for a possible connection to an illegal gambling probe. 

Rozier, who now plays for the Miami Heat, has been linked to unusual betting patterns surrounding his play while he was a member of the Hornets, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The same probe led to the lifetime ban of Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter, the NBA confirmed to multiple outlets Thursday. 

The NBA said it looked into the matter at the time and did not find any league rules were broken by Rozier. The Wall Street Journal reported that Rozier hasn’t been charged with a crime, nor has he been accused of any wrongdoing. 

“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,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement. “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.”

The U.S. Attorney’s office did not immediately comment. The Heat referred to the NBA statement when asked for comment.

The game involving Rozier that is in question was played March 23, 2023, a matchup between the Hornets and the New Orleans Pelicans. Rozier played the first 9 minutes, 36 seconds of that game — and not only did not return that night, citing a foot issue, but did not play again that season. Charlotte had eight games remaining and was not in playoff contention, so it did not seem particularly unusual that Rozier was shut down for the season’s final 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 total output for a full game.

Posts still online from March 23, 2023 show that some bettors were furious with sportsbooks that evening when it became evident that Rozier was not going to return to the Charlotte-New Orleans game after the first quarter, with many turning to social media to say that something “shady” had gone on regarding the prop bets involving his stats for that night.

One frustrated bettor posted an image of a ticket for a three-leg parlay where a $65 wager would have returned $401.95. The bettor played over 6.5 goals in the Tampa Bay-Ottawa NHL game and over 8.5 rebounds for Julius Randle, both of which hit. But the ticket didn’t cash because Rozier finished well below his prop bet of 32.5 combined points, assists and rebounds. The bettor picked Rozier to exceed those numbers.

Some sportsbooks offered Rozier prop bets — his totals for that night were generally set around 21.5 points, six assists and four rebounds — on March 23, then took them down hours before the start of the Charlotte-New Orleans game. It was not clear why that happened, and some bettors wondered aloud why that unusual move had taken place. Rozier was not listed on the team’s injury report going into the game.

The 30-year-old Rozier is in the third year of a four-year, $96.3 million contract.

The Associated Press’ Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.