​NEW YORK (AP) — Former Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier is determined to return to the NBA even as he faces sports gambling charges that derailed his season. His bail terms, which restrict contact with certain players and limit travel, could complicate any potential comeback.
U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall declined a defense request Wednesday to alter Rozier’s bail so he could practice and play with potential witnesses, provided they do not discuss the case. The judge argued that policing Rozier’s on-court conversations would be impractical.
DeArcy Hall also chastised Rozier for violating the no-contact provision of his $3 million bond by texting someone he had been instructed not to communicate with. She noted that Rozier was reaching out to inform that person that they were on the no-contact list, saying, “What that tells me is that he believes he knows better than the court.” The judge added that Rozier had “violated the court’s trust with that text message.”
Rozier, 32, has career averages of 3.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game across 10 NBA seasons, including four and a half with the Charlotte Hornets before his 2024 trade to Miami. He remains a free agent after the Heat released him in April. An arbitrator ruled in February that the Heat must pay Rozier his $26.6 million salary for last season.
Rozier is scheduled to stand trial in February on bribery and conspiracy charges, with prosecutors alleging he accepted a $70,000 payoff to help gamblers place bets on a March 2023 game by hinting he would leave early, despite a lingering lower-leg injury. He had not been listed on his team’s injury report, and neither the public nor sportsbooks were aware of the plan, prosecutors said.
Rozier’s associate, Deniro “Niro” Laster, who is also charged, allegedly shared or sold the information to others, who then placed bets totaling more than $250,000 on Rozier’s projected lower totals for points, assists and other statistics against the betting lines set by sportsbooks, according to federal prosecutors.
Rozier has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers have moved to dismiss the case and to transfer venue from New York to Miami. In recent days, Rozier has overhauled his defense team, bringing in David Markus—whose clients have included Ghislaine Maxwell—as lead attorney, replacing former President Donald Trump’s ex-lawyer Jim Trusty.
“I wish we were starting trial in this case because Terry is innocent and we want to show the world that he had no involvement in this,” Markus said after the hearing.
Rozier was arrested last October in a broad federal gambling investigation that has resulted in more than three dozen arrests. Last week, former NBA star Malik Beasley pleaded not guilty to charges that he manipulated his gameplay in 2024 to benefit sports bettors and ease his own debt.