Copyright Heavy.
Former Boston Celtics guard Terry Rozier, once beloved for his breakout “Scary Terry” run during the team’s 2018 Eastern Conference Finals campaign, was never officially cleared by the NBA in its gambling investigation, according to a report by investigative journalist Pablo Torre. NBA Investigation Into Rozier Never Closed A league source told Torre that Rozier’s case “was never closed.” “Us not being able to find something is not the same as cleared,” the source told Torre. “It is true we did not find a violation of our rules, but we did not close our investigation.” According to Torre, the NBA hired Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, a prominent New York law firm, to examine suspicious betting activity involving Rozier’s “under” prop bets ahead of a March 23, 2023 game while he was playing for the Charlotte Hornets. Investigators interviewed Rozier via Zoom and searched his phone, but found no direct evidence of wrongdoing. The case was then referred to federal authorities, allowing Rozier to continue playing—first in Charlotte and later with the Miami Heat. Federal Allegations Emerge Rozier, 31, was later accused of giving non-public injury information to his friend Deniro Laster before that 2023 Hornets game. Prosecutors allege Rozier told Laster he planned to exit early due to a sore foot. Laster then allegedly sold the tip to bettors for roughly $100,000, profiting when Rozier played only nine minutes. According to the indictment reviewed by Heavy Sports, Rozier paid for Laster’s travel to Philadelphia to collect the winnings, and the two later counted the money together. Both men were charged with wire fraud and money-laundering conspiracy — part of a sweeping federal crackdown that also implicated Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and former NBA player Damon Jones. Rozier’s Defense: ‘Confiding in a Friend Isn’t a Crime’ Rozier’s attorney, Jim Trusty, rejected the allegations, framing the exchange as a private conversation rather than criminal intent. “Confiding in a childhood friend and saying, ‘I’m banged up, I might sit early,’ isn’t a crime,” Trusty told FOX News Channel’s The Will Cain Show. “Whatever that friend did is not on Terry.” Trusty argued Rozier had “no motive to risk his $100 million contract and shoe deal” over a $100,000 betting gain. Celtics Legacy and Current Fallout Rozier’s name still resonates in Boston, where his breakout during the 2018 playoffs — including his Game 7 heroics over Milwaukee and fiery battles with Eric Bledsoe — made him a local cult hero. Known for his fearlessness and swagger, “Scary Terry” became a merchandising sensation and a symbol of Boston’s scrappy underdog spirit. After leaving the Celtics in 2019, Rozier spent five seasons in Charlotte before being traded to the Heat in 2024. Now, his NBA future hangs in the balance. The league has placed his $26.6 million salary for the 2025–26 season in escrow pending the outcome of the case, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) announced plans to challenge that decision, arguing that suspending pay violates the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the “presumption of innocence.” “We plan to challenge the decision through proper channels,” an NBPA spokesperson told the Associated Press. Rozier has posted bail using his $6 million Florida home as collateral. If cleared, he will receive full payment and could be reinstated. For Celtics fans, the news offers a bittersweet reminder: the same guard who once electrified TD Garden now stands at the center of one of the NBA’s biggest integrity scandals.
