The NBA has banned Jontay Porter for life after an investigation concluded that he broke the league’s strict gaming rules.
NBA Hits Porter With Lifetime Ban
Daily Mail reported that the NBA’s investigation found that the 24 year-old Toronto Raptors player had disclosed confidential health information to sports bettors and bet on games himself. It also found that Porter had been “limiting his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes,” according to The New York Post.
Jontay Porter was found to have given bettors confidential information about his health before his team took on the Sacramento Kings on March 20, which Toronto ultimately lost 123-89. A person associated with Porter then put $80,000 on a parlay prop on “unders” for him in that game to win $1.1 million.
Porter took himself out of this game after just a few minutes, claiming that he was sick, and none of his stats met the totals set in the parlay. The bet was frozen and never paid out, and it was then that the NBA launched an investigation.
Porter Placed At Least 13 Bets
Porter was found to have placed at least 13 bets on NBA games between January and March of this year. The bets ranged from $15 to $22,000, and the total wagered was $54,094. Porter reportedly generated a payout of $76,059, or net winnings of $21,965.
Porter signed a two-way contract with the Toronto Raptors back in December, and he had earned $415,000 this season. Throughout his entire NBA career so far, Porter earned $2.8 million.
“You don’t want this for the kid, you don’t want this for our team and we don’t want this for our league, that’s for sure,” Raptors President Masai Ujiri said just before the ban was announced. “My first reaction is obviously surprise, because none of us, I don’t think anybody, saw this coming.”
NBA Commissioner Speaks Out
NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke out about the ban after news of it came out.
“There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition for our fans, our teams and everyone associated with our sport, which is why Jontay Porter’s blatant violations of our gaming rules are being met with the most severe punishment,” Silver said.
“While legal sports betting creates transparency that helps identify suspicious or abnormal activity, this matter also raises important issues about the sufficiency of the regulatory framework currently in place, including the types of bets offered on our games and players,” he added. “Working closely with all relevant stakeholders across the industry, we will continue to work diligently to safeguard our league and game.”
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Porter’s History
Porter, who is the younger brother of the Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., went undrafted out of University of Missouri in 2019 but signed with the Grizzlies in 2020. He played in 11 games for Memphis during the 2020-21 season before being waived off that offseason.
Porter bounced around the G League until he signed his contract with the Raptors in December, going on to appear in 26 games with the team. He averaged 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 26 games, including five starts.
At the time of this writing, Porter has yet to comment publicly on his ban.