Report: NBA never officially cleared Terry Rozier in 2023 betting probe

Despite his lawyer’s recent claim that the NBA “cleared him two years ago,” a league source says Terry Rozier was never officially exonerated in connection with the 2023 betting investigation that first put him on the radar.

“Terry’s investigation was never closed, so he was not cleared of anything,” a league official told investigative reporter Pablo Torre. “Us not being able to find something is not the same as cleared. It is true we did not find a violation of our rules, but we did not close our investigation.”

The NBA hired Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, a New York law firm known for handling high-profile probes, to investigate Rozier after unusual activity appeared on his “under” prop bets before a March 23, 2023 Hornets game.

According to Torre, Rozier sat for a Zoom interview and turned over his phone to investigators, who searched for incriminating messages or evidence of gambling ties.

When no “smoking gun” was found, the league deferred to federal authorities — allowing Rozier to continue playing for both Charlotte and later Miami.

That same March game is now central to the federal indictment against Rozier, who’s been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.

Prosecutors allege he tipped off friend De’Niro Laster that he’d remove himself early from the game, leading to nearly $260K in winning bets on his unders. Investigators claim the winnings were later counted at Rozier’s home.

Meanwhile, veteran guard Malik Beasley is also being investigated by both the U.S. District Attorney’s office and the NBA for possible illegal betting activity.

Sources tell Torre those probes remain open, though the league has found no hard evidence that Beasley altered his play or communicated with gamblers.

Beasley, who previously faced a separate betting review and was cleared, remains unsigned heading into the new season.