Jontay Porter banned from NBA for gambling on games, giving info to bettors and limiting play for betting purposes
There is "nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition," Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.
April 17, 2024, 12:37 PM EDT / Updated April 17, 2024, 3:45 PM EDT
The NBA banned Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter for allegedly betting on games, passing on information to gamblers and claiming illness to influence a wager, the league said Wednesday.
The 6-foot-10 power forward and center is the brother of Denver Nuggets sharpshooter Michael Porter Jr. and has spent much of his pro career in the NBA's developmental G League.
The 24-year-old Missouri alum played in 26 games this season for Toronto, averaging 4.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per contest. He also got into 11 games for the Memphis Grizzlies in 2020-21, averaging 2.0 points and 1.3 rebounds.
"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," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.
The NBA said its investigation found that Porter had engaged in widespread gambling, against league rules.
He allegedly "disclosed confidential information" about his own health status to an individual he knew to be an NBA bettor" ahead of a March 20 game.
Porter claimed to suffer from an illness during the game and only played three minutes, the league said.
An $80,000 online bet was placed ahead of the March 20 game that he would underperform, which would have paid out $1.1 million — though that conspicuously large amount led to the wager being "frozen" and "not paid out," the NBA said.
When Porter was on the Raptors G League affiliate from January to March, he placed at least 13 bets on NBA games using "an associate's online betting account," the league said.
Those wagers ranged from $15 to $22,000 and totaled $54,094, according to the NBA.
None of those bets were on games in which he played, the league said. Three of these bets were parlays — which require multiple correct results — with one calling for a Toronto loss, the league said.
He ended up profiting $21,965 from all of these wagers.