Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: NBA, Basketball
James Taylor
Terry Rozier was arrested on Thursday as part of the NBA's betting scandal, sending shockwaves through the league just two days into the new season.
Rozier is one of six people arrested over alleged illegal sports betting.
New York City police commissioner Jessica Tisch said the players and their associates allegedly used insider information to manipulate bets on major platforms.
In some cases, they reportedly altered their performance or left games early to ensure bets won.
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Tisch cited an example from March 23, 2023, when Rozier was playing for the Charlotte Hornets against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Using insider knowledge, members of the group reportedly placed bets that made tens of thousands of dollars in profit.
Rozier, who was on the bench for the Heat's opening-game defeat in the NBA, has now been suspended by the league.
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Tisch added: "As the NBA season tips off, his career is already benched, not for injury but for integrity."
Portland head coach Chauncey Billups was one of 31 individuals allegedly involved in illegal poker games, connected to four of New York's organised crime families.
Former NBA player Damon Jones is accused of being among three defendants whose cases overlap both indictments.
The arrests provoked a huge reaction across the United States, including current NBA stars.
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Rozier's former teammate at the Miami Heat, Kevin Love, posted a graphic of Billups with his arms around Rozier from the viral Coldplay concert during the summer.
Love has since taken down the post.
He later wrote another message on Instagram: "Spoke to Dame and he opened my eyes to this being a real-life situation for two of my former teammates and brothers.
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"I took a particular post down because we all know they are going through it.
"As are their collective families."
Rozier was drafted by the Boston Celtics in 2015 and then played for the Charlotte Hornets before he moved to the Heat in 2024.
The 31-year-old now plays as either a shooting guard or point guard for the Miami Heat.
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Although Rozier featured in 64 games last season, he did not come off the bench during their opening game loss before he was arrested on Thursday.
FBI Director Kash Patel described the fraud as 'mind-boggling', citing 'tens of millions of dollars in fraud, theft and robbery'.
He said the arrests were the consequence of an 'illegal gambling operation and sports rigging operation that spanned the course of years'.