7 NBA games DOJ says were affected by high-stakes wagers

Ministry of Justice listed seven games in which the stakes were high after non-public information was revealed to players.

Terry Rozier, according to the Department of Justice, was directly involved in one of them, and Damon Jones reportedly provided information on two. Los Angeles Lakers games when he was the team's assistant coach.

Rozier's alleged involvement occurred in a game on March 23, 2023, when he told childhood friend Deniro Luster that he would pull out of the game early, citing injury, so Luster could make bets based on that information. According to the indictment, neither Hornets officials nor betting companies were informed of Rozier's plan, and Rozier was not listed on the team's injury report.

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Luster then allegedly sold this information to other co-conspirators, and many people placed bets totaling approximately $200,000 on Rozier's “under” bets to win both parlay and straight bets. After Rozier played only nine minutes and did not return, the bets were won. Rozier and Luster tallied the cash winnings at Rozier's home in Charlotte about a week later, the indictment says.

As for Jones, he allegedly told someone close to him that the Lakers' “standout” player would not play on Feb. 9, 2023, before the information became public.

“Bet big on [the] Milwaukee [Bucks] tonight until the information comes out! [Player 3] came out this evening. Set enough for Jones to eat so [sic] now!!!,” Jones allegedly wrote to a friend.

The DOJ says the player was ultimately sidelined with a lower-body injury – LeBron James did not play that night with an ankle injury that kept him out for two more games. The game in question took place two days after James scored 38 points to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer.

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Jones also provided apparent inside information on another “one of the Lakers' best players” 11 months later regarding an injury that may have affected his play, which ultimately backfired as the player “performed well” and the Lakers won.

Another game cited by the DOJ was the Portland Trail Blazers-Chicago Bulls game on March 24, 2023, the day after Rozier played nine minutes, in which an accomplice, “an NBA coach at the time,” allegedly told his longtime friend, also a defendant in the rigged poker scheme, that The Blazers will be tanking for the top draft pick that night and will take some of the team's best players. No public information has yet been provided about the players' rest.

The team's four leading scorers, including Damian Lillard, did not play that night as co-conspirators allegedly bet a total of more than $100,000 against Portland.

The co-conspirator in question is listed as a former NBA player whose career spanned “roughly 1997 to 2014” and “an NBA coach since at least 2021.” Only Chauncey Billupsalso a defendant in a poker case, meets this criterion. Billups is not named as a defendant in the sports betting case, which remains under investigation.

On April 6, 2023, the defendant was provided with inside information through a connection with a then-Orlando Magic player, the indictment states.

“The co-conspirator used his relationship with the Magic player to learn that several of the team's top players would miss the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers—information that had not yet been made public. The accomplice passed on this information [a defendant]who placed a roughly $11,000 bet on the Cavaliers to beat the point spread. When the lineup change was later confirmed and the Cavaliers beat the Magic by 24 points, [the defendant] and the accomplice pocketed the winnings,” the Justice Department said.

The other two games mentioned by the DOJ are ones that Jontay Porter gave up early to avoid getting hit by a prop. Porter was suspended for life by the NBA and is currently facing nearly four years in prison.

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Rozier and Jones were charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The NBA announced that Rozier and Billups were placed on leave from their teams effective immediately, “and we will continue to cooperate with the appropriate authorities.”

“The integrity of our game remains our top priority,” the NBA said.

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