NBA Gambling Case Update: Billups and Rozier Will Not Receive Pay During Suspension, Players Union Protests

On October 30th Beijing time, ESPN’s Shams reported that Heat guard Rozier has been arrested on federal charges related to involvement in a gambling syndicate, and he will not be paid while suspended. Trail Blazers head coach Billups will likewise not receive salary during his suspension.

Sources revealed that Rozier’s approximately $26.6 million salary for this season is paid in installments and will now be held in escrow. If Rozier—who was arrested on October 24 and suspended by the NBA hours later—is ultimately cleared and allowed to return to the league, he will receive the full amount held in escrow.

A spokesperson for the players union stated: "While we agree with the league on the importance of protecting the integrity of the game, the decision to withhold Terry’s pay violates the presumption of innocence and conflicts with the terms of the collective bargaining agreement. We intend to challenge this decision through proper channels."

Insiders say Billups’ $7 million salary for this season will not be placed in escrow; he will lose this income outright until the FBI investigation concludes.

Rozier’s attorney noted that the federal tax lien concerning the player’s 2021 taxes has been resolved. The IRS filed a lien lawsuit against Rozier in November 2023, indicating an unpaid assessed balance of $8,218,211.70 for the 2021 tax year. However, Rozier’s lawyer, Trust, told the Associated Press in an email that the actual amount owed at that time was only a small fraction of that total.

Trust wrote: "There was never an $8 million debt. Of the roughly $8 million in total taxes owed for 2021, the actual delinquent amount was only $9,000. That sum has been paid, but the now-invalid lien still needs to be removed from local court records."

Rozier owns property in Broward County, where records show he has paid his property taxes in full every year. The property is located about 30 miles from the Heat’s home arena.

During the 2021 tax year, Rozier played for the Charlotte Hornets; he has since joined the Heat roster. Last week, Rozier, Billups, and nearly 36 others were arrested on gambling-related charges detailed in two separate indictments.

Federal officials allege that on March 24, 2023—when Rozier was still with the Hornets—he conspired with associates to use his in-game performance data to help them win bets. This date is over seven months before the lien filing and nearly eight months before it was officially recorded. In that game, Rozier had very limited playing time, and bettors who wagered on him performing "under" certain statistical thresholds won their bets.

The charges against Rozier resemble those faced by former Toronto Raptors player Jalen Porter before 2024, who was subsequently banned for life by NBA commissioner Adam Silver.

Rozier did not play in the final eight games of the 2022-23 season, with both he and the Hornets citing a foot injury as the reason. At that time, the Hornets had multiple injured players and had already been eliminated from playoff contention.

Sports betting companies detected unusual wagering patterns on that Hornets game—Rozier’s "special bets" (bets on a player’s specific single-game stats) were flagged and promptly reported to the NBA. The league investigated but found insufficient evidence that Rozier violated any rules. Unlike federal law enforcement, the NBA does not have subpoena power.

Earlier this week, the NBA announced it is reviewing how to handle sensitive information such as injury reports in the future. Members of the U.S. House and Senate have also requested more information from the NBA, sending a letter to Silver this week demanding detailed explanations on "how the NBA investigates and manages these allegations" and "why Rozier was allowed to continue playing at the time."