New player in the Jontay Porter case

January 31, 2025

A new name has emerged in the US federal investigation into the scandal involving illegal betting on NBA players. According to the Wall Street Journal, NBA guard Terry Rozier (pictured) is under investigation by US authorities for possible manipulation of playing time during his time with the Charlotte Hornets in 2023.

It is reportedly part of an investigation into Jontay Porter, who was expelled from the NBA and pleaded guilty to fraud in July. Rozier has not yet been charged.

Suspicious amount of betting

The federal investigation into the guard stems from a game against the New Orleans Pelicans in March 2023. On March 23, Rozier went to the bench with a foot injury after playing 10 minutes in the game, posting five points, four rebounds and two assists. He missed the final eight games that season.

A few days later, the watchdog company U.S. Integrity notified the NBA and bookmakers that there was a suspiciously high number of bets on Rozier’s game, causing several bookmakers to remove their offers. According to NBA spokesman Mike Bass, the league investigated and found no violations of the rules. However, he confirmed cooperation with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York concerning the case.

The connection to the Jontay Porter case

According to the WSJ article, the investigation found that participants in the Jontay Porter case made some bets on Rozier before the game on 23 March. Recall that the basketball player was charged with fraud involving significant bets on events related to his results. In one case, an accomplice to the criminal scheme bet $80,000 and won $1.1 million thanks to Porter’s actions. Four other individuals have been indicted in connection with the case.

Jontay Porter’s manipulation of games and NBA gambling violations during his tenure with the Toronto Raptors shocked the basketball world. It forced operators to offer fewer betting options to players with two-way and 10-day contracts.

More credibility

Jontay Porter was far from the top of the NBA before this scandal ruined his career. He has only played in 37 regular season games since making his professional debut in the 2020-21 season. At the end of the 2023-24 season, his career earnings were around $2.8 million.

However, Rozier is a much more established player in the league than Porter. He has played over 640 games for three different teams since being selected by the Boston Celtics at No. 16 overall in 2015. In total, the guard has earned over $100 million in his playing career, and he recently signed a four-year, $96 million contract. Rozier is averaging 14.1 points per game, hitting 42% of his shots and making 3.6 assists, playing nearly 28 minutes per game in over 10 seasons.

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