NBA players union to challenge decision to put Rozier on leave sans pay

Terry Rozier of the Miami Heat poses for a portrait during Miami Heat Media Day at the Kaseya Center on September 29, 2025 in Miami, Florida.

Carmen Mandato / Getty Images / AFP

NEW JERSEY, United States – The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) said it will formally challenge the NBA’s decision to withhold Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier’s $26.6-million salary while he remains on leave following his arrest in the league’s widening gambling investigation.

“While we are in agreement with the league that upholding the integrity of the game is of the utmost importance, their decision to place Terry on leave without pay is counter to the presumption of innocence and inconsistent with the terms of our Collective Bargaining Agreement,” an NBPA spokesperson told the Associated Press. “We plan to challenge their decision via the proper channels.”

Rozier, along with Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and former NBA guard Damon Jones, was among 34 individuals arrested in what the FBI described as a “mind-boggling fraud” and “a criminal enterprise that envelops both the NBA and La Cosa Nostra,” the Sicilian Mafia.

NBPA defends players’ due process rights

Following the arrests, the NBPA issued a statement underscoring the players’ right to due process.

“The integrity of the game is paramount to NBA players, but so is the presumption of innocence,” the union said. “Both are hindered when player popularity is misused to gain attention. We will ensure our members are protected and afforded their due process rights through this process.”

According to ESPN, Rozier’s salary — paid in installments — will be placed in escrow until the legal proceedings conclude. If cleared and reinstated by the NBA, Rozier would receive the full amount.

Rozier, 31, is in the final year of his four-year, $96-million contract.

The Trail Blazers have also withheld Billups’ salary, just months after the Hall of Famer signed a multi-year contract extension in April.

Details of federal allegations

According to indictments unsealed by the US Department of Justice, Rozier allegedly informed his friend, Deniro Laster, before a January 2024 game that he planned to leave early due to a minor ankle injury — information not disclosed publicly.

Prosecutors said Laster then sold that information to bettors, who allegedly placed heavy wagers on player-prop bets predicting Rozier would fall below his scoring total and that his team would lose.

Rozier exited the game in the second quarter, reportedly as expected, and the group earned more than $250,000 in illicit winnings.

The indictment further alleges Rozier paid for Laster’s travel to Philadelphia to collect the proceeds before Laster drove to Rozier’s home, where the two allegedly counted the money together.

Adam Silver: NBA working to rein in prop bets

The scandal has renewed debate over the NBA’s growing ties to legalized sports betting, particularly player prop bets — wagers on individual player statistics that are vulnerable to insider manipulation.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged the risks in a recent interview on The Pat McAfee Show, saying the league has already asked partners to scale back some forms of betting.

“We’ve asked some of our partners to pull back some of the prop bets, especially when they’re on two-way players — guys who don’t have the same stake in the competition, where it’s too easy to manipulate something, which seems otherwise small and inconsequential to the overall score,” Silver said. “We’re trying to put in place — learning as we go and working with the betting companies — some additional control to prevent some of that manipulation.”

Silver’s push to limit or remove certain prop bets altogether has met resistance from sportsbook operators and state regulators, who argue that player-specific wagers remain among the most popular betting markets.

The NBA continues to cooperate with federal authorities.

Global parallels: BWF and MPBL game-fixing crackdowns

Billups and Jones were also accused of providing non-public information to bettors, in addition to alleged participation as “Face Cards” in rigged poker games organized by Mafia. Prosecutors said the games used cheating technology — including rigged trays and x-ray equipment — to defraud wealthy participants.

Rozier has since posted bail, using his $6 million Florida home as collateral.

The NBA gambling scandal began with former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter, who pleaded guilty to providing insider information that was exploited by gamblers. Porter is the younger brother of Brooklyn Nets star Michael Porter Jr.

The NBA’s betting crisis mirrors similar incidents in other sports. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) recently banned Danish coach and former player Joachim Persson for four years after he was caught placing live bets courtside during the 2023 Japan Open, according to Gambling Insider.

In the Philippines, the Department of Justice filed charges in 2021 against 17 individuals linked to a game-fixing scheme that marred the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) Lakan Cup. The MPBL revoked the licenses of 10 players and suspended several coaches and team officials involved in the scandal.

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Alder Almo is a former senior sportswriter for Philstar.com and NBA.com Philippines. He is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and writes for US-based publication Heavy.com.