NBA star arrested in sports gambling probe – months after being cleared by the league in betting scandal
Join the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletter and get behind-the-scenes access and unrivalled insight
Join the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletter
Join the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletter
An NBA star and head coach were both arrested early Thursday as part of a sweeping FBI investigation into illegal sports betting.
Miami Heat star Terry Rozier was apprehended at a hotel in Orlando, Florida. Chauncey Billups, head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers was also picked up by law enforcement.
The arrests come months after Rozier was cleared by an internal NBA investigation. Billups’ arrest is not related to games he coached, according to law enforcement sources.
The exact charges against both men are unknown. FBI director Kash Patel is due to hold a joint press conference with prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York at 10 a.m. ET to announce further details from the investigation.
The federal investigation into illegal gambling has been rumbling along for almost a year.
The probe into Rozier centers around unusual betting patterns surrounding his play in a game when he was with the Charlotte Hornets in 2023. Bookmakers in multiple states reported suspicious interest in his statistics, resulting in a surge of bets on his points, rebounds and assists.
Rozier scored five points, four rebounds and two assists within 10 minutes, but then left the game complaining of a foot injury, and did not return to the game, leading to outrage from bettors online. Some alleged that something “shady” had gone on regarding the prop bets involving the guard’s stats for that night.
The Heat star was later linked to the same probe that led to former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter being banned for life from the NBA, facing criminal prosecution and eventually pleading guilty to committing wire fraud.
Prior to his coaching role at the Blazers, Billups enjoyed a storied player career, and is a five time NBA All-Star and former NBA champion with the Detroit Pistons in 2004.
More follows …
