Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups, a former NBA star and head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, were arrested on Thursday in connection with a federal gambling-related investigation, two senior law enforcement officials told NBC News.
Rozier, who joined the Heat in 2024 from the Charlotte Hornets, was arrested Thursday morning in Orlando, Florida. It is not immediately clear where Billups was arrested, but the Trailblazers played in Portland last night.
Members and associates of organized crime groups are also among the couple of dozen expected to face criminal charges in two separate illegal gambling-related cases.
The FBI and other officials will be announcing charges later this morning, the officials said.
Rozier, an Ohio native and 10-year NBA veteran, was picked 16th overall by the Boston Celtics in the 2015 NBA draft after playing college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals. It is not immediately clear which case Rozier is allegedly involved with.
Investigations into gambling have extended to active NBA players in recent seasons. Jontay Porter pleaded guilty in federal court and was banned by the NBA for life in 2024 for violating the league’s sports gambling rules, with the league alleging that the Toronto Raptors forward had bet on NBA games and disclosed confidential information about his own participation to bettors. He is set to be sentenced in December.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
