NBA bans Toronto Raptors' Jontay Porter after gambling investigation
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter was banned by the NBA on Wednesday after the league discovered the player disclosed confidential information about his health status to known sports bettors and bet more than $54,000 on league games.
The league opened an investigation into Porter's gambling allegations in March and focused on his performance in games on Jan. 26 and March 20. In both games, Porter played briefly before leaving citing injury or illness. Porter played 4 minutes and 24 seconds against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first of those games, then played 2:43 against Sacramento in the second game.
The investigation uncovered that before the Raptors' March 20 game a known NBA bettor placed a $80,000 parlay proposition bet with an online sports betting book to win $1.1 million wagering that Porter would underperform in that game. This person placed that bet only after Porter disclosed confidential information about his health status, the league said.
"Due to the unusual betting activity and actions of the player, the $80,000 proposition bet was frozen and was not paid out," the league said on Wednesday.
The following has been released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/h2TIkaE7xs
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 17, 2024
The investigation also found that from January through March 2024, while traveling with the Raptors or Raptors 905, the team's NBA G League affiliate, Porter placed at least 13 bets ranging from $15 to $22,000 on NBA games using an associate's online betting account. He bet a total of $54,094 and the total payout from these bets was $76,059.
None of the best involved any game in which Porter played.
"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. "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."
Silver said the league will work with relevant stakeholders to "safeguard our league and game."
Porter has not commented since the investigation began, and never played for the Raptors again — he was listed as out for all of Toronto's games for the remainder of the season citing personal reasons. Prior to the ban, the 24-year-old Porter, the brother of Denver forward Michael Porter, was averaging 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 26 games, including five starts. The 6-foot-10 Porter also played in 11 games for Memphis in the 2020-21 season.
Per NBA rules, any player who "wagers money or anything of value on any game or event in the Association or in the NBA G League" can face sanctions from Commissioner Adam Silver ranging from a fine to "perpetual disqualification" from the league.
Porter is the second person to be banned from the league by Silver for violating league rules. The other was now-former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling in 2014.
The NBA has had business relationships with gaming companies for years and lists FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings as official gaming partners. The league also has relationships with at least 24 other gaming operators.