Terry William Rozier III (born March 17, 1994) is an American professional basketball player who plays as a point guard and shooting guard for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA).[1][2]Rozier grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, and attended Shaker Heights High School, where he earned All-Lake Erie League honors over three seasons and averaged 25.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 4.7 steals as a senior, leading his team to a 21-3 record.[3][4] He then played two seasons of college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals, earning AAC All-Rookie Team honors in 2014 and second-team All-ACC recognition in 2015 while averaging 17.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game as a sophomore.[2] Selected by the Boston Celtics with the 16th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft, Rozier spent his first four seasons as a reserve guard, notably stepping up during the 2018 playoffs with averages of 16.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game while filling in for injured starters.[5][6]In a 2019 sign-and-trade, Rozier joined the Charlotte Hornets on a four-year, $54 million contract, where he became a full-time starter and achieved career highs, including 21.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game in the 2020–21 season, earning Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors on March 29, 2021.[5][7] On January 23, 2024, Rozier was traded to the Miami Heat in exchange for Kyle Lowry and a conditional first-round pick.[2][1] He served as a key offensive contributor for the Heat, known for his quickness, three-point shooting (career 36.1% from beyond the arc), and defensive tenacity, with career averages of 13.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists over 665 regular-season games (as of the 2024–25 season). In October 2025, Rozier was arrested as part of a federal investigation into an illegal sports betting scheme involving NBA personnel and placed on indefinite leave by the league and the Heat. Despite being on indefinite leave, on January 7, 2026, the Miami Heat guaranteed Rozier's full $26.6 million salary for the 2025–26 season by not waiving him before the league-wide 5 p.m. deadline, retaining him on the roster as a potential trade asset ahead of the NBA's February 5 trade deadline.[5][8][9][10]
Early years
Early life
Terry Rozier was born on March 17, 1994, in Youngstown, Ohio, to parents Gina Tucker and Terry Rozier Sr.[11][12]Rozier's early years were marked by significant family challenges, including his father's incarceration shortly after his birth. At age 18, Terry Rozier Sr. was convicted of felonious assault and sentenced to eight years in prison, leaving the family without his presence during Rozier's formative childhood.[13] His mother, Gina Tucker, primarily raised him and his older sister Tre'Dasia, who has cerebral palsy, amid the socioeconomic hardships of Youngstown, a city plagued by high poverty and crime rates.[11][12] When Rozier was around six years old, threats from his father's enemies escalated, prompting his mother to relinquish custody to her mother, Amanda Tucker, for safety.[12][14]Despite these difficulties, Rozier found initial solace in basketball through informal play in Youngstown, where he and neighborhood children used improvised equipment like soup cans, rolled-up socks, and milk crates as makeshift hoops and balls on local courts.[12] Family encouragement, particularly from his grandmother after the move, steered him toward the sport as an outlet amid the instability, though he initially showed more interest in football.[11] At age six, to escape the violence in Youngstown, Rozier relocated with his grandmother to Shaker Heights, a suburb of Cleveland, seeking better educational and safer opportunities. A 2003 shooting incident during a family visit back to Youngstown, tied to conflicts related to his father's past, further underscored the ongoing risks.[11] This transition laid the groundwork for his structured introduction to organized basketball in middle school.
High school career
Rozier began his high school basketball career at Shaker Heights High School in Shaker Heights, Ohio. As a junior, he averaged 18.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game.[4]In his senior year at Shaker Heights, Rozier elevated his performance, averaging 25.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 4.7 steals per game while leading the team to a 21-3 record, the Lake Erie League championship, and a berth in the Ohio state tournament.[15] He earned All-Lake Erie League honors for three consecutive years during his time there.[15]Rozier was regarded as a four-star recruit by major scouting services and ranked No. 74 overall in the class of 2012 by ESPN, as well as No. 75 by the Recruiting Services Consensus Index (RSCI).[16][17]He committed to the University of Louisville, choosing the Cardinals over scholarship offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, West Virginia, and Cleveland State.[15] However, academic eligibility issues prompted a transfer to Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia, for a postgraduate year. At Hargrave, Rozier averaged 29.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game, guiding the team to a 38-8 record and a spot in the national semifinals; he also set a school scoring record with 69 points in a double-overtime victory over Oak Hill Academy.[15]
College career
2013–14 season
As a true freshman at the University of Louisville during the 2013–14 season, Terry Rozier transitioned to college basketball after spending a preparatory year at Hargrave Military Academy due to academic hurdles during his senior year of high school. He appeared in all 37 games for the Cardinals, serving primarily as a bench player behind veterans like Russ Smith and Chris Jones, while adapting to the rigors of Division I play under coach Rick Pitino.[15][18]Rozier averaged 7.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game, shooting 40.1% from the field overall and 37.1% from three-point range. His scoring output included a season-high 19 points against Temple on February 27 in an 88–66 victory, where he also added 2 rebounds and 1 steal. In American Athletic Conference play, he elevated his production to 8.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game, demonstrating growing defensive tenacity and perimeter shooting. For his efforts, Rozier was selected to the AAC All-Rookie Team.[18][15][19]The Cardinals enjoyed a strong campaign, compiling a 31–6 overall record and a 15–3 mark in AAC play to claim the regular-season conference championship. They won the AAC Tournament title by defeating UConn 71–61 in the final, with Rozier contributing 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting. In the NCAA Tournament, Louisville earned a No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region and advanced to the Sweet 16, defeating Manhattan 71–64 and Saint Louis 66–51 before a 74–69 upset loss to No. 8 seed Kentucky. Rozier played in all three tournament games, logging 42 total minutes off the bench with minimal turnovers, providing defensive pressure and transition support despite modest scoring (averaging 1.3 points).[20][21][22]
2014–15 season
As a sophomore, Terry Rozier emerged as a key leader for the Louisville Cardinals, starting 35 of the team's 36 games and serving as the primary ball-handler and scorer. He averaged 17.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and a league-leading 2.0 steals per game, leading the ACC in steals while showcasing improved playmaking and defensive tenacity after limited minutes off the bench as a freshman.[7][23] His scoring efficiency and rebounding prowess for a guard highlighted his breakout potential, contributing to Louisville's balanced attack under coach Rick Pitino.Rozier helped guide the Cardinals to a 27–9 overall record and a 12–6 mark in ACC play, securing a fourth-place conference finish. In the 2015 NCAA Tournament, Louisville earned a No. 4 seed in the East Region and advanced to the Elite Eight, defeating UC Irvine 57–55 in the first round, Northern Iowa 66–53 in the second round, and NC State 75–65 in the Sweet 16 before falling 76–70 to No. 7 seed Michigan State in the regional final. Rozier's efforts were pivotal in the tournament across four games, where he averaged 16.8 points and 1.8 steals, including a 13-point performance against Michigan State.