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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 operation this week.
Rozier is said to have faked an injury during a game on March 23, 2023, when he was a member of the Charlotte Hornets, so that his friends and co-conspirators 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 and later placed on leave by the NBA.
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Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) celebrates with guard Terry Rozier (2) after hitting a three-pointer as time expired 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 all the way through. He’s our brother at the end of the day,” Heat captain Bam Adebayo said at the shootaround, via ESPN. “It felt a little weird without him being here, actually, because he’s the first person I get to talk to in the morning. He brings that great energy to our team.”
“We stand behind him. Full support.”
“Terry is someone who is very dear to all of us,” head coach Erik Spoelstra added. “He’s had a really positive impact on our locker room and both the staff and the players, and that includes last year when he wasn’t in the rotation very often. We send our thoughts and our care to him as he goes through this.”
Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier (2) handles the ball in the second quarter against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena in Washington, District of Columbia on March 31, 2025. (Reggie Hildred/Imagn Images)
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“You have no choice (but to move on),” Spoelstra added. “The league does not wait. It does not stop for you … You have to learn to compartmentalize and focus on the most immediate, and that is the preparation for an important game tonight.”
Miami beat the Grizzlies, 146-114.
Neither Hornets officials nor betting companies were made aware of Rozier’s plan, according to the Justice Department’s indictment, and Rozier was not listed on the team’s injury report.
Deniro Laster then allegedly sold this information to other co-conspirators, and several people bet a total of about $200,000 on Rozier’s “under” prop bets to hit both parlay and straight bets. After Rozier played just nine minutes and never returned, the bets won. Rozier and Laster counted winnings at Rozier’s home in Charlotte about a week later, the indictment states.
Terry Rozier of the Charlotte Hornets drives the ball upfield 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 placed on immediate leave from their teams, “and we will continue to cooperate with the appropriate authorities.”
“The integrity of our game remains our top priority,” the NBA said.
