Rozier's Mother Ask Judge to Let Son Back in NBA
David Genge Published 20/10/2026
Gina Tucker, the mother of former NBA player Terry Rozier, is seeking to get her son reinstated from his suspension over his alleged role in a gambling scandal. She wrote to a federal judge, asking her to permit her son to return to basketball. Rozier, a veteran NBA guard, is fighting charges that he was involved in a gambling case involving the manipulation of stats in an NBA game for betting purposes. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and is scheduled to go to trial in February.
Rozier is currently on indefinite leave from the NBA. He is also prohibited from playing pro basketball in any other league.
NBA Placed Rozier on Unpaid Leave
Rozier was given his release by the Miami Heat last spring. The NBA wound up placing the veteran guard on unpaid indefinite leave.
Tucker wrote to Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall. In her letter, Tucker asked the judge whether there were conditions that could be put in place to enable her son to return to basketball "while continuing to satisfy every obligation imposed upon him."
Rozier's mother expressed concern about the limited earning potential for a professional athlete.
"Terry has worked nearly his entire life to reach the NBA," Tucker wrote in her letter, according to reporting by ESPN. "A professional athlete has a uniquely limited window in which to compete at the highest level.
"Every season matters, and time lost during the prime of an athlete's career cannot later be restored if the legal process takes months or years to resolve."
Tucker expressed the belief that her son should be allowed to earn a living at his profession while still under the presumption of innocence.
"Allowing Terry to return to basketball would not determine or diminish the seriousness of the allegations before the Court," Tucker wrote. "It would allow him to continue his profession while the judicial process determines the outcome of his case."
Rozier's trial is scheduled to begin on Feb. 8, 2027.
Rozier is accused of faking an injury to benefit bettors
The case against Rozier stems from a March 23, 2023 NBA game when he was with the Charlotte Hornets. Prosecutors have accused Rozier of taking a bribe to fake an injury and pull himself out of that game.
He left the game after playing only nine minutes. His alleged conspirators were found to have bet nearly $259,000 on Rozier player prop unders for that game. All of those bets cashed.
Under the conditions of his bail, Rozier is not permitted to play pro basketball overseas or to travel outside the continental U.S. He is also banned from having any contact with players from the Heat or the Hornets.
Previously, Judge Hall denied a request put forth by Rozier's attorneys to modify his bail conditions. The request would have allowed him to practice and play with potential witnesses in his trial.
The other former NBA player caught in a betting scandal is back playing pro ball
Jontay Porter, the former Toronto Raptors player who was caught in a similar betting scandal, has returned to playing pro basketball, albeit not in the NBA. Porter currently plays in the USBL for the Seattle SuperHawks.
Porter was banned from the NBA in 2024 for his role in a gambling scheme. It was found that he manipulated his performance for the benefit of bettors.
Porter pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges. He is awaiting sentencing.
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