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Ex-NBA Star Allegedly Faked an Injury to Get $100K Bribe in Sports Betting Scheme, Per U.S Feds

Just as in the 2025-26 season, the league was hit with arrests of NBA star and former coaches who were charged in a sports betting controversy. The former Miami Heat star Terry Rozier was also arrested and later pleaded not guilty. Recently, he was waived by the franchise, but now there are two charges against the 32-year-old.

Rozier came under scrutiny over a 2023 game exit linked to unusual betting patterns around his unders. He was among more than 30 individuals detained by the FBI, alongside Portland Trail Blazers ex-head coach Chauncey Billups and former NBA player and assistant Damon Jones. The new report claims that the then guard of the Hornets shared information with Deniro Laster about a possible early exit. Now the two charges are bribery in sporting contests and honest services wire fraud conspiracy.

The government alleges that Rozier accepted a $100,000 bribe (later discounted to $70,000 because one stat went “over”) to feign a leg injury and pull himself early from a March 23, 2023, game while playing for the Charlotte Hornets against the New Orleans Pelicans.

“Laster shared the information with multiple bettors, who then placed more than $258,700 in wagers on the under on Rozier’s various statistics, according to the indictment. Rozier played just over nine minutes before coming out of the game. He finished with five points, four rebounds and two assists, resulting in most of the bets winning. Rozier agreed to reduce the alleged bribe to $70,000 after the game because his four rebounds caused some of the bets to lose, according to the indictment.”

In November, the FBI detained Rozier, and since then, the NBA has put him and Billups on immediate unpaid leave. Back then, the reports confirmed that the bettor reportedly placed $14,000 on Rozier’s unders. It was only after the former Heat guard had informed an associate. He originally pleaded not guilty in December to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. He is currently out on a $3 million bond.

His attorney, Jim Trusty of Ifrah Law, even asked the judge in December to dismiss the case. “The superseding indictment just confirms that our motion to dismiss was righteous — new charges, new theories, but all just a sad effort to make something stick,” Trusty told ESPN. But now the problems for his client seem to have increased.

Two people, including a former NBA player and an assistant coach, pleaded guilty

Former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones becomes the first of more than 30 defendants charged to plead guilty in the case. Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic reported that Jones was LeBron James’ personal shooting coach and used that connection to send information to gamblers. It was from the morning of the Purple and Gold’s February 9, 2023, game against the Bucks that Bron’s absence remained key information. At the time, the Lakers’ star was not ruled out but was later ruled out due to ankle soreness.

Thus, the bettors placed a roughly $100,000 wager on the Lakers to lose. Marves Fairley, who was one of the accused to use this information, pleaded guilty on Thursday. But he also stated that “I agreed to pay a player to change their game performance,” Fairley said. While he did not name a player, the federal prosecutor later stated that the player in question is Terry Rozier.

The self-proclaimed “gambling guru” pleaded guilty to seven federal felony counts for orchestrating massive illegal sports gambling and bribery schemes across the NBA, NCAA, and international leagues. His sentence could be between eight and 10 years in prison, as he also agreed to pay $676,700 as part of his punishment.

This article first appeared on EssentiallySports and was syndicated with permission.

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