Photo courtesy of Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
By Hannah Walls
TAMPA, Fla. — Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups were arrested following allegations of involvement in a betting and cheating scandal now under investigation by the NBA.
Both Rozier and Billups have been placed on leave by their respective teams, the NBA released in a statement.
Rozier was arrested for allegedly fixing NBA games, while Billups was arrested for being involved in a mafia poker gambling scheme.
In March 2023, the NBA became aware of unusual betting activity in a game between the Charlotte Hornets, Rozier’s former team, and the New Orleans Pelicans. Later that month, the NBA conducted an investigation but ultimately found no rule violations.
In November 2023, the IRS filed an $8.2 million federal income tax lien against Rozier for past-due taxes.
Moving forward to January 2024, Rozier was traded from the Charlotte Hornets to the Miami Heat. The alleged illegal gambling scheme in which Rozier is a subject is believed to have occurred prior to the trade.
In January 2025, The Wall Street Journal reported that federal authorities were investigating Rozier in connection with a March 2023 game and unusual betting activity. On Oct. 23, 2025, federal agents arrested Rozier as part of a wider gambling and fraud investigation.
Rozier is accused of conspiring to win bets based on his own statistical performance, while Billups is described as a co-conspirator who allegedly tipped off someone about the Portland Trail Blazers resting key players.
Rozier is not accused of placing bets himself. Prosecutors allege he told associate Deniro Laster he planned to remove himself from a game, and Laster then sold that information to others who placed bets based on it.
Rozier’s attorney, Jim Trusty, said Rozier is “not a gambler” and “looks forward to winning this fight.”
Billups is accused of telling co-defendant Eric Earnest that the Trail Blazers would be resting several key players. Earnest allegedly shared that information with another associate, who paid him at least $5,000.
Two others, identified as Fairley and Hennan, reportedly wagered more than $100,000 on the Blazers to lose and won their bets.
Unlike cases where players directly placed wagers, this investigation focuses on the sharing of insider information that led others to profit. Billups has also been linked to a separate poker gambling probe, though it is not directly related to the NBA betting case.
These arrests have drawn attention from across the league, prompting a response from NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
“There’s nothing more important to the league and its fans than the integrity of the competition. I had a pit in my stomach. It was very upsetting,” Silver said.
The NBA continues to deny claims that Rozier was pulled due to a fake foot injury.
“Any assertion that the NBA had anything to do with Terry Rozier not playing games following his departure from the game on March 23, 2023, is categorically false,” said Mike Bass, an NBA spokesperson. “Per team doctors, Rozier had a real foot injury confirmed with an MRI.”
The investigation into Rozier and Billups is ongoing, and federal authorities have not yet announced any charges beyond the arrests.