On Tuesday, the NBA announced that Toronto Raptors two-way player Jontay Porter has been banned from the league.
“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 a press release announcing the suspension.
According to the NBA, a league investigation found that Porter violated league rules by disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his participation in one or more games for betting purposes, and betting on NBA games.
None of the bets involved any game in which Porter played, according to the NBA.
In addition, according to the league, the investigation found that before the Raptors’ March 20 game, Porter disclosed confidential information about his health status to an individual he knew to be an NBA bettor. Another individual with whom Porter associated and knew to be an NBA bettor subsequently placed an $80,000 parlay proposition bet with an online sportsbook to win $1.1 million, wagering that Porter would underperform in the March 20 game.
Furthermore, the league’s investigation also found that Porter limited his own game participation to influence the outcome of one or more bets on his performance in at least one Raptors game. In the March 20 game, Porter played only three minutes, claiming that he felt ill. Due to the unusual betting activity and actions of the player, the $80,000 proposition bet was frozen and was not paid out. From January through March 2024, while traveling with the Raptors or Raptors 905, the Raptors’ NBA G League affiliate, Porter, placed at least 13 bets on NBA games using an associate’s online betting account.
According to the NBA, the 24-year-old Porter, brother of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., profited nearly $22,000 from his illicit activities.
Porter, who went undrafted out of Missouri in 2019, started his career with the Memphis Grizzlies. He bounced around the G League before signing a two-way deal with Raptors in 2023.
The league says the investigation remains open and may result in further findings.
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