Very harsh sanction from the
NBA to a former
Toronto Raptors
player
. The American league banned
Jontay Porter
for life this Wednesday
for having violated the rules by participating in a sports betting network. An internal investigation revealed that the 6-foot-10 forward bet on NBA games, limited his participation in one or more games for betting purposes, and provided confidential information to others for betting purposes.
The scandal broke out days after the meeting between the Raptors and the
Sacramento Kings
on March 20, in which Porter - brother of
Michael Porter ,
Denver
forward
- retired due to illness after 2 minutes and 43 seconds on the court and with some figures more than discreet: no points and only two rebounds.
For that game, there was an unusual increase in bets due to Porter's performance being below expectations, that is, they were betting money that the player would not reach certain figures, which for that game were 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds.
"The investigation determined that prior to that game, Porter shared confidential information about his health status with an individual he knew was an NBA gambler. Another individual he knew who was also a gambler performed at a gambling house. online betting an $80,000 bet at an online sportsbook that Porter would underperform to win $1.1 million," the league explained in a statement.
Suspicions about the player's participation in that unusual activity led those responsible for that betting house to freeze its payment, as reported by
The Athletic
, and was the starting point of the NBA investigation, which revealed some other irregularities.
"It was also determined that Porter limited his participation to favor betting on his performance in at least one Raptors game," the league statement continued.
"In addition, from January to March 2024, while traveling with the Raptors or Raptors 905, Toronto's
G-League
team , he placed at least 13 bets on NBA games using an online sportsbook" worth between 15 and 22 thousand dollars, for a total of 54,094 dollars, as explained in the text published on social networks.
None of those bets were on games in which he played. Although in one, Porter gambled the money on a defeat for his team. And he won it. The return on all bets was $76,059 and netted the player a net profit of $21,965.
The NBA detailed that the investigation remains open and that new findings may be uncovered. And that he shared and will continue to share information about the case with
United States
federal prosecutors .
"While legal sports betting creates transparency that helps identify suspicious or abnormal activity, this matter also raises important questions about the adequacy of the regulatory framework currently in place, including the types of bets offered on our games and players. Working closely with With all relevant industry stakeholders, we will continue to work diligently to safeguard our league and our game," said
NBA Commissioner
Adam Silver .
He added: "There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of the competition for our fans, our teams and everyone associated with our sport, which is why Jontay Porter's flagrant violations of our playing rules are punished." more severe."
Born in Columbia, Missouri, 24 years ago, Porter had his time in college basketball with
Iowa State
, although his career at that level was marked by two serious injuries to his knee ligaments. In 2019, his name was among the players eligible for the NBA draft, but he was not selected by any team. However, in March 2020 he signed with
Memphis
.
After his short time with the Grizzlies - who released him in July 2021 - he joined
Denver
for the 2022 summer league, played for
Wisconsin Herd
and for
Motor City Cruise
, of the
G-League
; He signed a contract (although he never put on the jersey) for
Detroit
. And finally, in December 2023, he agreed to a link with
Toronto
.
After the game against Sacramento, which aroused the suspicions of the NBA, he only played once again. Two days after that game, he spent 21 minutes on the court against Oklahoma. He added seven points, three rebounds and eight assists. He missed the Raptors' next game against Washington for "personal reasons," according to his team at the time.
His statistics show that he played 37 games in the league, with an average of 11.2 minutes on the court, 3.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.
After it became known that the NBA had begun its investigation for his alleged participation in unusual bets, he never stepped foot on the court again. And he won't do it again, at least in the most competitive league in the world.