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The Miami Heat showed “full support” for guard Terry Rozier after he was arrested for his alleged involvement in an illegal betting scheme this week.
Rozier is alleged to have faked an injury during a game on March 23, 2023, when he was a member of the Charlotte Hornets, so his friends and accomplices could place bets on his “under” prop bets.
Rozier did not play in Miami’s season opener on Wednesday and was arrested the next morning, then placed on leave by the NBA.
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Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) celebrates with guard Terry Rozier (2) after scoring a three-point basket as time ran out to win the game against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. (Rick Osentoski/USA Today Sports)
Friday’s shootaround without Rozier made reality set in for the Heat, who had a game that night against the Memphis Grizzlies.
“You support him from start to finish. That’s our brother at the end of the day,” Heat captain Bam Adebayo said at shootaround, via ESPN. “I actually felt a little strange without him here, because he’s the first person I talk to in the morning. He brings that great energy to our team.”
“We are behind him. All our support.”
“Terry is someone very dear to all of us,” added coach Erik Spoelstra. “He’s had a really positive impact on our locker room, and on staff and players alike, and that includes last year when he wasn’t in the rotation many times. We send him our thoughts and love as he goes through this.”
Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier (2) handles the ball during the second quarter against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena in Washington, District of Columbia, on March 31, 2025. (Reggie Hildred/Image Images)
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“You have no choice (but to move forward),” Spoelstra added. “The league doesn’t wait. It doesn’t stop for you… You have to learn to compartmentalize and focus on what’s most immediate, and that’s preparing for an important game tonight.”
Miami defeated the Grizzlies, 146-114.
Neither Hornets officials nor betting companies were informed of Rozier’s scheme, according to the Justice Department’s indictment, and Rozier was not listed on the team’s injury report.
Deniro Laster then allegedly sold that information to other co-conspirators, and numerous people placed bets totaling approximately $200,000 on Rozier’s “under” bets to hit both parlay bets and straight bets. After Rozier played only nine minutes and never returned, the bets won. Rozier and Laster counted the cash winnings at Rozier’s Charlotte home about a week later, the indictment says.
Terry Rozier of the Charlotte Hornets brings the ball up court against the Philadelphia 76ers during their game at Spectrum Center on January 20, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
Rozier and Chauncey Billups, the latter of whom was arrested as part of an illegal poker ring, were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The NBA announced that Billups and Rozier were immediately suspended from their teams, “and we will continue to cooperate with relevant authorities.”
“The integrity of our game remains our top priority,” the NBA said.
